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5.9.23 Webinar-Mass. General Hospital RC Suite-FINAL (1)

Ditch the Training Wheels: Why the Radiology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital Switched to the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite

May 24, 2023
May 24, 2023

This blog is taken from a recent HealthStream webinar entitled “Ditch the Training Wheels: Why the Radiology Department at Massachusetts General Hospital Switched to the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite.”

The webinar was introduced by HealthStream’s Beth Pfeifer, Senior Product Marketing Manager and moderated by Greg Magin, HealthStream’s Senior Account Manager and Team Lead. The webinar featured Nathalie Korpics, MS, Manager, Radiology Education, Massachusetts General Hospital and Sallie Brown, RN, BSN, Success Manager, HealthStream.

The webinar discussion allowed viewers to gain insight into the American Red Cross resuscitation education program, as well as how to make the right decision based on their educational needs and how to successfully implement a new resuscitation program within their organization or department.

 

Reasons for Switching to the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite

When Korpics started in her new role at Massachusetts General Hospital, she asked senior leaders to identify some of the areas in which they would like to see improvement and leaders raised the issue of CPR training. Historically, CPR training had been done via in-house classroom instruction; however, Korpics described this approach as challenging for the radiology department as staff availability for classroom training was nearly impossible to predict or schedule and that staff availability is constantly changing in a department such as radiology.

Korpics also had the challenge of scheduling two days of monthly skills testing for those employees who needed to update their certifications which also presented scheduling difficulties. Moreover, managers were expressing a preference to have those skills tests administered within their own departments. This led Korpics to begin the process of evaluating the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite™ and was able to have a set of the Brayden Pro Manikins sent to the facility. Korpics reported that, even without any formal instruction, they were able to begin using the manikins immediately.

There were two things that she and her colleagues really appreciated about the program and the manikins. First, the manikins are significantly lighter than what they had used in the past which made them easier for educators to transport. Also, her radiology team are collectively visual learners and spend much of their work life looking at screens so they were very comfortable with the iPad that provided visual and auditory feedback which allowed them to make immediate adjustments to their skills. Korpics also reported that the biggest factor in their selection process was that instructors simply preferred the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite over other programs.  

 

The Change Management Process

The radiology department at Massachusetts General Hospital is one of the largest in the world – employing more than 2,000 people and performing more than 900,000 diagnostic exams for inpatients and outpatients each year. So, when Korpics began the process of moving her large radiology department to the new program during the pandemic, an organized change management approach was crucial.

Korpics began the process of moving her large radiology department to the new program during the pandemic which could have made the process difficult to say the least. Brown, the Success Manager assigned to help implement the program was unable to be there in person, but it did not stop her and Korpics from thoroughly implementing the new program. Korpics stressed the importance of taking the time to ensure that instructors felt thoroughly comfortable using the program themselves prior to introducing it to staff. Brown went on to share that while the pandemic has seemingly passed, HealthStream has carried on with video training for the purpose of implementing the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite within other organizations.

Brown also shared that during the change management process, it is important to take advantage of HealthStream’s recommendations for implementation. She shared the following tactics:

  • Plan an open house to introduce the program and the equipment.
  • Take the manikins to the cafeteria, or any communal area, so that staff can get familiar with them in a non-threatening environment.
  • Take steps to ensure that your staff are comfortable with both the manikins and the iPad.

Both Korpics and Brown shared that the HealthStream Community is a great way to meet other users and share best practices for both implementation and ongoing use.

 

The Red Cross Difference

Korpics shared that the visual display featured on the iPad was a big differentiator for her organization and played a prominent role in her decision to choose the American Red Cross Resuscitation Suite. She also felt that the auditory feedback on the skills performance was timelier making it easier for students to adjust their practice when prompted. 

Perhaps best of all, the ongoing feedback from both instructors and students continues to be positive with leaders reporting higher levels of staff confidence in these critical skills.

She has also appreciated the flexibility that is possible with the newer, lighter manikins which makes it easy for staff to transport equipment to the various locations where Massachusetts General Hospital is providing radiology services.