Question for In Hospital Nurse Educator

londonflo · May 2, 2021

It sounds like you will need more information on designing learning experiences for different subjects, length of time, class population etc. Have you thought about going back for your MSN in education? If not feasibile currently, investigate textbooks for teaching,webinars and nursing education journals (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095771816300482)

and fellow educators. There is not a one formula "works for all" educational experiences.

Nurse educators' use of lecture and active learning (duke.edu), Teaching and Learning in Nursing - Journal - Elsevier.

And sign up for conferences to network with other nurse educators (ask for a healthy continuing ED budget)

Good luck

Magnolia11 · May 3, 2021

Thank you for responding?

love2banurse89, BSN, RN · May 18, 2021

I've been an educator for many years and currently am the Director of Clinical Education in long term care for almost 4 years. This last year has been extremely difficult and sometimes frustrating for me in the way of education--as the Infection Control nurse I'm also responsible for all things COVID related and with the huge focus on infection control and PAPERWORK r/t COVID, testing, etc., it has been overwhelming at times to educate on "everything".

My best advice is to be flexible as to how you educate; base your education on what your target audience will participate in.

When I started this job I scheduled sit-down of about 45 minutes in length, at multiple times, to accomodate all shifts. This worked best for the night shift, who preferred to come in before their shift started. I got less response on other shifts, even if they sign up to come in, so rarely do this anymore.

Currently I do a mix of education techniques, with the goal of providing information my audience can USE in their practice. For brief reminders--label TB solution when you open it; give "early" meds (omeprazole, thyroid meds), "early" as ordered, etc. I type up a paragraph or two and put it at each nurses station with space to sign underneath. I ALWAYS put the following statement above the place to sign: "I have read and understand this education and will follow the guidelines/policy above" and remind them (pleasantly!) that they are accountable for the information.

For general information (Blood Borne Pathogens, Resident Rights, Mental Health Month) I've created tri-folds on which I put relevant info. I put this info in a public space along with a brief quiz. Participants can complete this education when they have a few minutes during their shift. I like to do this also as different staff members work together; because the questions on the quiz apply directly to their practice, they often work together and discuss the info.

So far for nurses this year I've created brief handouts about IM injections (we don't give many at our facility) and Applying Topical Medication. This is 1-2 pages of the information they need to safely do these tasks, and a brief quiz. I hand it out to nurses and they return the quiz. I feel comfortable with this as it's more a review than presenting brand new information.

Each of these techniques requires follow up after I've tracked who completed the information. At a CNA meeting a couple weeks ago I typed out the names of those who had not read and signed 1-page education and had it available at the meeting; the ones who needed to, completed it before and/or after the meeting.

Some education is done in a "huddle" of a few nurses or CNAs who are on duty at the time; a resident had some bruising from improper repositioning. I typed up the relevant info and for several days personally talked to the CNAs and nurses about this, and had them demonstrate/return demo repositioning this resident using proper technique. They also signed that they had done this and would follow the new policy of always having 2 people to reposition that resident.

One of the most important factors in education, I think, is developing a relationship with staff and talking directly with them. I've worked hard to do this since I started the job, talking to them about how their day is going, how the residents are, how they and their family are, etc. I also have candy in my office that they are all welcome to, and since my kids got me a Keurig for my office, I have coffee, hot chocolate, etc. there too. Sometimes I remind them about signing something when they come in for a treat, but often I just ask them how things are going. I often get insight on a question they have or something that needs to be educated on and when I have that relationship, they are much more willing to listen, read, change their practice, etc..

When I put out education at the nurses stations, I mention it to them with "read this when you have time and sign it." If they read something I have on a clipboard and I do on-the-spot education, I always ask if they have any questions about it before they sign.

I know this is a long answer ? ! Nurses and CNAs are busy, so we have to tailor our education to fit the time they have available as so many will not or cannot come in before or after their shift to complete it.

In June I am doing a "skills fair" for the Medication Aides as I've seen a need for a lot of education regarding the basics. This will be required and last several hours. I will offer it at several times AND tell them that if group of them prefer a different time, I will come in at that time for their inservice. They probably won't like it ? but because I don't require it very often, I anticipate good turnout. I do have the backing of the DON and Administrator in requiring them to do this.

Let me know if you have any other questions and GOOD LUCK!

amoLucia · May 18, 2021

Delegate to others if you can for some more simple info. As supervisor on NOCs, I freq rec'd info with a sign-in from our part-time SD nurse. It would be short length and I could take a few days to reach everybody when they worked. I was even able to reach 3-11 who were overtiming.

When I was SD, I used to hang info in the employee bathroom with the sign-in.

Hey! Whatever works!

Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN · May 18, 2021

When I was a critical staff dev gal I put together a skills signoff day in the large hospital conference room with things like setting up 12-leads, estimating blood loss on chux or towels, train-of-four for measuring sedation, blood gas quizzes, vent settings, and the like. Open all day. Get all stations signed off, get 4 hours of free CE.

Contact your BON and find out what your requirements are for awarding CEs. It's a pain, but it's also a really good draw.

love2banurse89, BSN, RN · May 19, 2021

3 hours ago, Hannahbanana said:

When I was a critical staff dev gal I put together a skills signoff day in the large hospital conference room with things like setting up 12-leads, estimating blood loss on chux or towels, train-of-four for measuring sedation, blood gas quizzes, vent settings, and the like. Open all day. Get all stations signed off, get 4 hours of free CE.

Contact your BON and find out what your requirements are for awarding CEs. It's a pain, but it's also a really good draw.

Depending on the state, those hours could count as “non-peer reviewed”, meaning you don’t have to provide CEUs for them but they still count as education towards license renewal. ?

Magnolia11 · May 20, 2021

Thank you all very much, that is exactly the kind of information I was looking for, I wondered about 1-2 hour in services, but staff already hate having to come in for mandatory meetings so I figured that probably wouldn't go over real well. I like the idea of teaching on the floor in real time but worry that I won't have their full attention, patients, call lights, etc.

How have you found this to work out for you?

anewsns · Jun 1, 2021

I am not a CNE but am doing a big lit review right now on best practices in nurse education. Looks like the more interactive the better. Obviously, learning on the job is best but simulations, role play, and videos also work well. For on the job knowledge, clear expectations with competency signoffs work best in orientation. People also need a healthy work environment to be able to learn. Preceptorships and mentorships also help.I worked in inpatient rehab hospital, long term care, and now in a big teaching hospital. I think I would have benefited from more standardized training in the acute rehab (which also aligns with the literature). Looking back, I don't think this would have been very resource intensive and ultimately would have saved time and money for the company. I think people need multiple modalities to supplement their on the job learning. Adults also should be tested with critical thinking questions instead of memorization questions.

Magnolia11 · Jun 2, 2021

Thank you I am gleaning really good ideas from everyone, everybody has contributed something unique, thanks again. Robin

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jul 4, 2021

Great info--thanks to all for sharing real world staff education ideas across various settings.

vampiregirl, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2021

In addition to more formal education suggestions listed above, I also found that when I was a staff development coordinator in a SNF that if staff had easy access to information they were more likely to reference it as needed. For example, if a patient on a unit had an specific type of drain then I had manufacturer's info/ troubleshooting bookmarked or even a shortcut on the desktop on that unit's computers so that nurses didn't waste time searching for info.