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Learn MoreAs long-term care facilities implement the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Final Rule - Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities, they should be taking a closer look at their competency programs for some potential traps that could prevent success:
If it's the latter, that's a problem for the simple reason that various staff members have very different jobs, and they cannot be expected to achieve the same levels of success across all duties and functions within a facility.
Each job role has unique responsibilities, points out Tracey Cooley, RN, BSN, a master trainer and surveyor and Vice President of Training at HealthStream. We definitely have to tailor training and competency programs so that staff can be successful in those roles. Not only does a competency affect the quality of care and services delivered to residents, it also has a huge role in staff satisfaction. Make training engaging, capture staff's attention. Make it more interactive, make it more effective and more dynamic, and the key to that is defining the competencies by the roles of our staff members.
As an example, consider emergency preparedness. Through this program, a facility is supposed to assess the types of emergencies it is vulnerable to. Every department, each staff member, has different responsibilities when responding to a crisis situation, and they need to be confident and competent in their job roles during that high-stress period. Yet their roles will be different and complementary to each other vs. each person trying to do the same one or two things. So, competency around emergency duties is very different for each team member.
"Take a look at the roles that folks have and customize the plan," explains Patrick Campbell, a master trainer and surveyor, and Senior National Account Services Director with HealthStream. Don't assess competency in things they're not responsible for, but make sure [the plan] is comprehensive so that you don't miss anything.
“Assessing through observation of staff members in action is one of the strongest verification methods for determining competency,” Cooley says. “Observe people when they request it, and also observe them in action to make sure they are competent.”
And, she adds, “For some staff members, training and competency is not just limited to technical skills. For example, when you look at the job description of a director of nursing, you see they wear many, many hats. There's definitely more to consider than just the technical skills of the nurse. There are the regulations in addition to many administrative duties. Competencies need to be tailored to the director of nursing's specific responsibilities.”
For a team or overall facility competency plan, including philosophies can also help establish benchmarks. For instance, if employee feedback is part of the overall culture, it can be woven into a competency verification strategy. Other types of documentation can include observation of daily work, says Campbell.
“How do you know how a staff member relates to residents outside of a classroom setting? Well, we should be looking at what they're doing every day,” he says. “That's one way to determine competency or identify problems quietly. Case studies also are always good. Those will tell you things that work and didn't work and may help formulate a plan as far as what a competency is, how to tell when someone is competent, and what kind of training methods do or don't work.”
Lastly, it's key to engage employees in the competency and facility assessment plans, both from a macro and micro perspective. They will have thoughts on how the entire enterprise should perform, as well as their individual roles in achieving facility-wide goals and expectations.
“Sometimes they might not be good test takers and that's OK,” says Ellen Kuebrich, a Senior Director of Business Development at HealthStream. “You can find other ways to verify competencies. Definitely make sure you're identifying what a pass is ahead of time. If it's using a skills checklist when you're observing or grading a test. If they're at a certain percentage, make sure all of those criteria are identified ahead of time. Make this process dynamic. Understand that this is a feedback loop—your facility assessment should inform your competency program, and vice versa, on an ongoing basis.”
Nursing homes and skilled care facilities that continue to excel are those that treat residents as people worthy of respect, regardless of medical condition or funding source—and regardless of the pressures felt by staff. HealthStream works with skilled nursing and LTC facilities to address these challenges, from keeping pace with regulatory requirements to engaging and developing competent staff who can satisfy the demands of increased patient complexity. By partnering with HealthStream for workforce development solutions, long-term care organizations and others across the care continuum are equipped to seamlessly manage the pressures of surveyor visits, while remaining focused on high-quality patient and resident care.
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 ProductsLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ResuscitationIn 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 ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
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 ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
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 leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsLearn more about HealthStream's provider credentialing, privileging, & enrollment solutions for healthcare organizations.
View All CredentialingExperience standardized and centralized healthcare provider credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
View All ProductsNCQA-certified CVO verification services for initial and re-credentialing files in an overflow or full-service capacity for healthcare organizations.
View All ProductsSearch, review, and add providers into the Epic provider master file with our Epic app integration, Provider Validate.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
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