Education day

[suni, BSN, RN]

I am help to plan a day for nursing assistants education. It will be an 8 hour day and we have some of our topics and speakers. If any of you have partcipated in such a day at your facility were there any fun activities to keep you from sitting for so long? Do you have any helpful hints? I would like this day to be informative and relaxing for our nursing assistants, we could not function without them>

[CoffeemateCNA]

Competitions are always fun. Do you have CPR mannequins? Each team could have a mannequin and be given a list of skills to do such as dressing, oral care, transferring, etc., and whoever does it the fastest wins. You could even have some "prize," like a lanyard, or cookies from dietary (may or may not be a treat depending on where you work :))

Skits are fun too, especially when you have to "dress for the part." If you're going over a certain topic, you could have a skit prepared to go with it, and the participants could be members of the audience. "Residents" could have a gown, walker, wig, etc. The "CNA" or "nurse" could have a big lab coat and nursing cap. The goofier the better.

Someone originally started this thread for the same purpose as you and read them during the presentation:

You know you are a CNA when.... - Nursing for Nurses

Some of them are pretty funny and sure to lighten the mood.

[daimere]

During my orientation at work, they had an assistant run in dressed as a resident acting all crazy. It sure woke up some of us and gave us a laugh. Our PT guy came down and reviewed transfers and we practiced them.

[Ev1987]

Snacks, (good ones, hear? ) Rewards for participation and trivia quizzes. Staff scenario skits and a generous 'thank-you-for-all-the-hard-work' speech to the aides after the event.