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Learn MoreEquipping your care providers with a quality nurse residency program at the start of their careers is one way to prevent many unfortunate clinical mistakes, possibly reducing potential adverse patient outcomes. In a recent conversation, Kimberly Sulger, HealthStream’s AVP of Clinical Solution Success Management, shares her perspective on why mistakes are so easily made and how hospital onboarding programs play a vital role in reducing errors. Here is an excerpt from an article based on that interview.
Onboarding Impacts Outcomes
Sulger stresses the importance of a quality onboarding program in laying the foundation for the development of competence, confidence, and clinical judgment in new nurses. The quality of the program is crucial—onboarding is the period of time when a new nurse is trained in the hospitals’ way of doing things, either the correct or incorrect way. “Onboarding is where a nurse really is indoctrinated, and ideally the hospital is doing things the right way,” says Sulger. “This is when nurses begin developing healthy versus bad habits. For example, if a nurse is trained by another who cuts corners or doesn’t have a good attitude about the delivery of patient care, they may establish some of those habits that become ingrained into their practice over time.”
Mentorship Creates a Strong Foundation
Onboarding is the time to start new nurses off with a strong foundation by ensuring they have good mentorship, correct expectations, and a proper support system. Sugler adds, “All of those components combined together develop a better nurse, which is always going to tie into improved patient outcomes.”
Developing Self Assurance and Competence
Sulger suggests that the development of competence and confidence are essential to improving patient outcomes. “It takes competence to recognize that something you’re seeing may not be right and confidence to pick up the phone and call the doctor with your concerns,” explains Sulger. Nurses must have self-assurance to trust their knowledge and instincts when they suspect that a patient is on the wrong course and then take their concerns to the physician. Sulger suggests that this type of confidence results from having solid preceptors, establishing a systematic approach to patient care, and building up peer support for nurses. Ideally, this development begins with onboarding.
Developing Clinical Judgment Begins after Formal Education
The development of clinical judgment truly begins once a new graduate nurse begins his or her career, as it cannot be learned in school. Clinical judgment is just as vital to improving patient outcomes as competence and confidence, but clinical judgment is what enables a nurse to pick up on subtle changes in their patient and intervene before a negative outcome occurs. Commenting on this, Sulger says, “A lot of negative patient outcomes could have been prevented upstream if there had been an astute person to identify the subtle changes.” Yet, without developed nurses who are capable of noticing those changes, this type of prevention is impossible.
“I’m a firm believer that if every nurse in America went through a solid, proven nurse residency program, we would see a change in the number of errors in this country,” Sulger concludes. “And it’s not that you’re simply changing the outcomes in any one hospital, but you’re putting a better quality nurse out into the world, wherever they land.”
The full article includes:
Download the article here.
HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsHealthStream offers professional training and education on how to best optimize your reimbursement process within your healthcare organization.
View All ReimbursementTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsImprove the preparedness of your staff, increase survival rates, and cut costs with the advanced resuscitation training services from HealthStream.
View All ResuscitationNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream's solutions allow your healthcare workforce to be confident and competent with the knowledge they are upholding the highest of standards.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsDelivers everything you need to request, gather, and validate information about a provider to create a single source of truth for downstream processes.
View All CredentialingMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All Scheduling & Capacity ManagementNurseGrid and Keener - HealthStream's mobile apps built by nurses, for nurses - help nurses take control of their schedules, practice self-care, and build a more sustainable career.
View All ProductsTake the stress out of scheduling with real-time technology that engages nurses and healthcare workers from HealthStream.
View All ProductsProvide an easier way to view healthcare staff capacity insights while seeing a patient’s journey with HealthStream’s operational intelligence and machine learning products.
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