Further Enhancements Lie Ahead
By Mary Hoffner, RN, BSN, MBA
More than 200 new employees attend clinical orientation each year, and that number continues to grow. It is vital that St. Louis Children’s Hospital has well-educated staff to care for the diverse patient population and families now and in the future.
In spring 2007, current practices for clinical orientation were evaluated to make it more interactive and engaging. Since this project would need the input of many to make it successful, the orientation reconstruction group was created.
In eight months, the group developed a comprehensive orientation program that included hands-on skill building, lecture, discussion, scenarios and computer-based learning via the CHEX system. This “blended” learning approach was created to help new staff think critically in a stressful and highly technical environment while caring for complex patients.
Educators from every nursing unit created clinical scenarios to share with new staff. These scenarios include situations that are common to particular units and depict patients that orientees would likely care for during their shift.
The new orientation program was introduced in February 2008. The streamlined orientation provides additional clinical experience within the first two weeks.
Classes now include titles such as “A Spoonful of Sugar: Medication Delivery,” “Little Kids, Big Problems: Common Pediatric Disorders” and “Taking the Pain out of Pain.” The goal is to make learning fun while engaging new staff in active discussions and dialogue. In addition, classes that were once a mainstay in orientation—Ethics and Communication, Delegation and Teamwork—are instead being offered in Support for Success, a program to help support new nurses in their emerging roles at the hospital. This initiative was made possible through the efforts of the orientation reconstruction group, orientation instructors, preceptors and many others.
Further enhancements lie ahead. A high-tech simulation lab is being built on the hospital’s fifth floor and should be ready by early 2009. It will enable clinical staff to test their skills and critical thinking in an environment that mimics a patient care setting. This team effort should benefit the entire SLCH clinical team with an informative and appealing orientation for years to come.
The author can be reached at 314.286.0399 or maryph@bjc.org.