Paper to digital: Nurse files & Competencies

[rolando perez, BSN]

Hello Everyone, 

I've been a ICU nurse now for almost 12 years and recently transitioned to an educator role. I've been given the opportunity to be part of a new team, new leadership, new staff and new workflows at a new outpatient surgery center here in Chicago. After years of being a nurse and knowing our goal as a practice should be heading into the digital age, I was wondering if any educators out there have any tips on getting rid of those old stacks of paper/competency booklets that most of us use. Since I have the ability to create a new culture in this new building, I want to start off fresh with the expectation that all nurse competency files will be digital. My idea is to scan or copy pdf's to employee files, the same as we would if it were paper. Any ideas or exposure to such a transition would be helpful. Thanks in advance. 

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

My former employer has been scanning competency forms for years. However, when they print them out come Joint Commission survey, the font is tiny and unreadable. My department continued to maintain the paper files for minimum of 3 years (so we could pull the physical file when JC requested to review that particular employee). 

My current employer is almost paper free. All competency checklists are completed through our elearning system, with the exception of travelers. There's pros and cons to it- no lost papers, but getting preceptors to log on and complete them is a pain, and orientees can be missing quite a few sign offs when it's time to go out on their own.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

All of our goodies in dialysis land (at least at F) are digital, and have been in the 5 years since I started there