How would you structure orientation for a medical assistant?

[NAVY RN]

I want to restructure the orientation that the hospital corpsmen (Navy's version of medical assistant/LPN). Currently, the corpsmen with more experience are teaching/orienting the new corpsmen to the ward. This orientation phase is about a month long. The new orientee works five 8 hour days per week, instead of the 12 hour shifts that all other corpsmen work. During this month they are taught the typical corpsmen stuff like starting IV's, drawing blood, transporting patients, managing chest tubes, inserting foleys, a.m. care, counting intake/output, etc.

My concern is that the orientation is not optimal. I feel that the training is getting diluted as the teaching is passed down from one corpsman to another. I know that I definitely want to involve the nurses more in their training.

For those of you that don't know. After 14 weeks of medical/first aid/BLS training a Navy hospital corpsman can do as much as a Nurse or Doctor allows for them to do (wow, that seems crazy after writing it, but it works). Especially when we're in situations that are not overseen by Joint Commissions. They work under the RN's or MD's license.

So my real question is, how would you structure an orientation for these people who in many cases you depend on to be your eyes/ears/arms?

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

Military is its own as you well know...it is different from anything outside of it! I don't think many folks can answer such a broad question from our standpoint of doing this..let alone a military standpoint of doing it!

It is like trying to teach someone how to do a rubics cube on one end...and then add doing 10 sit ups and filling out 4 pieces of paperwork explaining why you are making that move to satisfy those above you! I am not being rude...I have worked with the VA and I was Navy (not corpsman..grrrrr!)...and it is just not a average everyday workable lifestyle or workstyle for most!

I can give advice on how to teach med passes in an easy to use and certainly milliatary OKAY way! PM me if you wish to know this...

Hey...if nothing at least I responded! LOL!

Navy all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oops my bias showed up big! LOL!...Navy family born, raised and married too!!!!!!!!!).