Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/320931
6 8 O R E X C E L L E N C E. C O M S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | J U N E 2 0 1 4 how someone performs their job though, you'll have to observe skills and attitude, since classwork won't be able to tell you how they'll do when they're handling patients. But many of us don't observe regularly, and if you're going to assess your staff's competency, you'll have to cover all these bases. We have to acknowledge that testing is only a part of assessing com- petency, and we have to do more. • Effort to excellence. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's going to take some time and energy to accomplish this. Health care is always evolving, and there's too much going on for you to rely on the assumption that an occasional refresh- er course will ensure that your staff knows their stuff. For staff, staying current in their positions and maintaining their skill sets through participation in contin- ual professional development programs should be a personal responsibility. If you want to make sure your staff is competent, you must provide resources and encouragement, too. Certifying authorities can do some of the work for you as well, since maintaining certification will force staff members to stay current. • Hire higher. It's becoming more prevalent in perioperative nursing for administrators to look for candidates with BSNs, or to require their existing staff to earn them. To stay competitive, you have to hire the best nurses, but there's another advantage to asking more of them. Research increasingly shows that staying current with the latest standards and practices results in better patient outcomes. That seems like a win-win: If we send more nurses back to school, there are fewer complications, wound infections, decubitus ulcers; there is a direct positive effect on the bottom line; and, in a tough job market, they're more attractive as candidates. • What's at stake. Your facility's clinical reputation depends on competency assessment. Your patients want to know that they'll be getting good, safe care, of course, and getting patient satisfaction and quality of care right carries a K I C K E R 1406_ORX_guide_Layout 1 5/29/14 3:23 PM Page 68