Determining faculty clinical competence

[llg]

My hospital is having an issue with the competence of some of the faculty members that are sent by the schools to supervise student clinical experiences. We are considering the establishment of a formal process whereby we must "approve" of the faculty person before they can supervise clinicals here. I am therefore searching for ideas.

How does it work where you live and teach? How do hospitals assure that the faculty members are actually competent clinically before allowing them to supervise patient care activities?

Thanks,

llg

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I was a staff nurse in a level one trauma center for 10 years and while there, I went back to school and got my MSN and continued to work as a staff nurse afterwards. Anyway, since we were the "big" hospital in town, the nursing schools in the area (4) sent students to the ER. I liked having students so I volunteered often to precept. One day I had a chance to talk with an instructor because I wanted to scope out the opportunities in academia. Anyway, I found out that she had only worked as an RN for 2 years over 15 years prior and then went back for an advanced degree and her doctorate and had taught during the intervening years. However, she told me that she was very scared being in the ER because she had no experience with critical care.

So, my concern is the lack of current experience for these educators. This educator was very nice, polite, well-liked on the unit and respected by her students. Yet, she couldn't show anything to the students - the staff nurse preceptors were providing the education.

And...I do know about the shortage of instructors. I am currently clinically competent because I work as an APN, but can't take a cut in pay in order to teach.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Hi llg,

I was wondering if the hospital director has spoken to the director for the college about these issues? There may be much more to the story than you are all aware of--I do agree with the rule you will be making that they need to be oriented by a certain time frame. The director of the college will have to realize that if she doesn't hire by that date, they won't be able to use your site for clinical. It is amazing how people tend to make deadlines when forced to do so.

........ (snip, snip) ...

Good luck in the new policy development and the implementation of such changes. I would guess that the director of these colleges will follow suit because they need you as a clinical site. I would also question if they come to your hospital so infrequently, perhaps the entire experience could be observational?

Barbara

I am the person responsible for coordinating the activities of the 8 RN programs who use my hospital, and yes, I have spoken with the school directors many times. I have told them many times over a period of about 4 years that we will be forced to create and enforce strict requirements if they don't voluntarily takes steps themselves to address some of the issues, but it hasn't done much good. Slowly, I have started to enforce increasingly strict policies -- but I think it is time for a bigger change. Thus, my interest in requiring adequate faculty preparation and my willingness to consider actually not allowing those who don't comply to continue coming.

The politics are complicated because we are a charity hospital with the only really good pediatric inpatient units in the region. There are also racial and social class issues that could be brought into the situation. It could get really messy. It could also effect our fundraising efforts long term -- and as a charity hospital, that's a major issue.

The "just observation" idea is one we have used to help tide us over temporarily. However, I doubt we can continue to rely on that approach much longer and/or on a much larger scale. We do have some schools that have qualified faculty and who provide and an excellent education and who would like to expand. They need the clinical slots to expand -- slots that are now being filled by schools without qualified faculty. It would be in the community's best interest to allow those good quality schools to expand and to consolidate the community's resources within the better quality programs. There needs to be some reorganization and "shake out" of the nursing education programs in the region. But how we get there is difficult ... and it's hard to figure out where my hospital fits in the dynamics.

[bookwormom]

I teach clinical at several small nursing homes and hospitals in my area. (One facility Semester 1 and then another Semester 2. )There is a lapse of several months to years between my experience at each facility. I would love an orientation that covers more than the fire system , HIPAA and OSHA. I've suggested it, but it's never followed up. So, I have to go in and just ask questions and make a nuisance of myself.

The hospitals and the staff are very nice, but seem to think I will know their new IV pumps, electronic charting protocols, etc by osmosis. There's new equipment every time, and I look like an idiot when I run across something I haven't seen before.

Every hospital is different. And each one takes getting used to. For myself, I'd appreciate an instructor orientation--EVERY year. At the least, the hospitals could send a notice to the schools when they are offering training on new equipment or when they have policy changes.

Many years ago, one of the hospitals gave my school a copy of their policy and procedure manual. It was great. But it hasn't been repeated.

[joni p]

Hello,

I have been a clinical instructor for about 1 year. I LOVE my job, but am learning that I need to demand more of my students. Since there was no formal training here, I seem to remember that there is an actual course available online fo clinical instructors--university based. However, I do not remember the name of the university. Is there anyone out there who knows of such a course? Please reply. I am depserate.

[KYCNM]

indiana university school of nursing has three online nurse educator courses and also offer a certificate for master's prepared nurses in nursing education. yu can find information at:

www.nursing.iupui.edu/academicprograms/envforhealth/teachereducation.htm

[I1tobern]

Not an educator yet, but when I was in nursing school, our instructors were required to work in the clinical environment at least prn to maintain their skills;

[doliveri]

Hi,

The majority of the hospitals that our school are contracted with require the faculty to attend a mandatory one day clinical competency marathon each year. These marathons are usually offered twice a year in January and early in August. All equipment, (pumps, glucometers, etc.) are highlighted at these sessions along with the forms that the faclity uses, as well as the opportunity to become familar policy and procedure manuals. I have found the sessions extremely helpful not only for new knowledge and hands on experience, but the sessions give me an opportunity to meet the people with whom I will be working.

Dee