Staff Development Coordinator

I have been a SDC for 2 years. What you will find along the way is that SDC's typically get treated like an extra person without consideration in LTC. Many are ignorant of the responsibilities and level of paperwork involved in the position until they are called on the carpet during survey....then its all eyes on you as to why you haven't met expectations. It is impossible to do this job when you are providing patient care according to the hcfa/cms requirements.GOOD LUCK! Learn to say NO!!!

I am not sure why they would want you to do patient care 50 hours a week. That sounds stupid. You have many other things to do, that are needed to insure that the facility maintains their license, so OTHER nurses can care for those patients.

I wouldn't be expected to do so much direct care if we had enough nurses to cover...In this area, nurses are REALLY hard to find and keep. When I don't have to work on the floor, I can get this other stuff done. I am lucky, the DON and I used to work on the floor and took these jobs together (as a package, if you will) and so she knows me and is very understanding, and we can work together well. We did not have an SDC position before, it is something new they created in an attempt to retain DON's. So I'm charting new territory here, I guess.

i am also new to the world of Staff Development. I told the DON in the interview that i was NOT going to do patient care. You all are correct in saying that we (SDC) are treated as an "extra". You have to say no and put your foot down.

I think this is a very challenging profession, with just the inservices alone. The paper work is unbelieveable!!!!

I think we need to start a Staff Development Coordinator Support Group...lol;)

I was wondering if you all could tell me just what your job duties are. Since we never had this position, I'm having to kind of make up my job description as I go, and it is more like an ADON position than an SDC probably. We are so small we never had either. I do the scheduling of inservices and records for that, infection control reporting, the CNA scheduling, the DON and I just sort of share the hiring of CNA's depending on who is available, and I will be teaching the classes for CNA's. I help with MDS's when I can, especially with the RAPS (we're so small that the DON does most of the nursing parts). It seems like there's so much more that doesn't fall into a 'category'! What other kind of things do you all do? Thanks!

Well,lets see...what DO i do...lol.

Mostly, I identify problem areas and inservice the staff. It seems like my DON constantly wants inservicing done, but it is IMPOSSIBE to get staff to attend. I keep track of the yearly TB, certs. CPR that kinda stuff. I do the interviewing, and the orientation. I also am the Fall Committee Chairman(woman). I investigate all the falls that happen in the facility. The falls take alot of time out of my day, between the investigation, care planning, and making sure all the proper documentation is done. We have alot of agency nurses and CNA's that work there, so I am constantly inservicing on stuff. I'm sure I'm forgetting tons of things, but i guess that is the major part of my job.

I guess my question is, where do you get info for inservices??

I have some stuff in my office...video tapes and such, but I'm looking for papers, or articles....that sorta thing.

I'm going to try to get certified to teach CPR and do the CNA training, but it seems like my whole day goes by so fast!!

Wow I guess we don't do as much stuff on falls as you do, although I did recently have to do frequent faller assessments...I got some books that my adminstrator ordered for me that have some good take home inservices for when your CNA's don't get their 12 hours in a year (that may just be a Colorado regulation) and the whole facility staff is involved in the inservices (except for the attendance!), meaning that our social services director does resident rights (or maybe ombudsman does it), the environmental services can do safety, the dietary consultant can do nutrition, etc. Also, we had an aide that was required to do an abuse inservice and it was attended very well, so I was thinking that maybe for the quarterly abuse ones (again, maybe just a CO reg.) I would ask CNA's to take turns doing. I do have the terrible problem getting people to go however. Any ideas to up attendance? Thanks!

Kimmi,

I guess from what i hear about getting people to attend is to bring food. But jeeze, it's not like I make a TON of money to spend on food for all the inservices. I guess I will ask the administrator to fork over some $$$ from petty cash...lol;)

Anyways, I do have people to help me do inservices and my orientations, but the majority ( 90%) falls on me.

I wonder...............who educates the educator??? LOL