Emergency Education

[txmish]

Hello All,

I have worked in pediatric level 1 ER for about a year and am now headed up a new education committee. Would love y'alls input on how your hospital educates in a busy ER setting. Right now we currently have not alot of education and if we have education it is policies based or any new equipment. I am trying to set up ways to do case studies, refreshers on syndromes, disease processes, medications etc.... Would love any input on what works and doesnt work.

Thanks!!!

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

Short, focused inservices during shift start can hit the high points of cardiac alert or trauma activaton criteria for example.

[txmish]

Thanks for the idea.... we already have long shift reports and also our staff meetings are quite long which is why its hard to know when to fit education in even though I think its important.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Some ideas:

1. Bathroom boards - just a quick poster about a certain disease process and/or procedure.

2. In ERs where I've worked, peds education was really pushed hard - ENA has some great education and some pamphlets too that could be circulated in the break room, locker room.

[dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I]

The ENA has numerous courses on difeerent sub topics of emergency nursing. They pack a lot of material into a short period. Why re-invent the wheel? Nobody does it better than the ENA, and by scheduling people for the classes you can assure the those less motivated to learn get it.

[ObtundedRN, BSN, RN]

One of the many education strategies my unit does, it having an education book. It is a three ringed binder, with education material in it. Each month, a new education topic is placed in the book. It is always designed in PowerPoint and printed out in single slides, then put into the book. That way while waiting for shift report/huddle to begin, you can flip through that month's inservice and read the info. Then there is a sheet to sign off on each month.

I find it helpful because you can have just a few bullet points of information on each page, and include pictures. And if there are any new/revised policies regarding the inservice, the information is covered in the powerpoint print out, and then the official policy is placed at the end. And all of the previous month's inservices are left in the book, so you can read over something again or make up anything that was missed.