Blog Contribution by NIHD Past President Kelly Guzman, MN, RN, EDAC.
As a Transition and Activation Planner, I spend most of my time working on healthcare projects transitioning from an existing environment to a new department or building. The staff are experts at performing their jobs, caring for the patient populations they serve, fulfilling special requests from each provider, and of course, leveraging any shortcuts and workarounds that are a reality of any profession. When planning the New Facility Orientation and Training plan, one question we often receive is, “Who needs training, and how much time should be allocated?” In my 18 years leading projects, here is what I have learned.
Even when the same staff are moving to the same department with no change to the patient population or services, a new environment always brings new and different elements to which staff need to be oriented and trained. Safety and staff confidence in providing care are key priorities of this project phase. I rely on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when considering what aspects of the new project will be most important to staff. Hands down, the most common things staff working in the new building want to know are:
Pictured above: Utilize Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when considering what aspects of the new project will be most important to staff.
Once these considerations are addressed, you'll have a captive audience ready to learn!
The following are common items that need to be included in the New Facility Orientation and Training plan:
1. Fire and Life Safety- All staff working in the building need to be trained on the new environment's Fire and Life Safety elements. This can be accomplished through different modalities, including learning modules, building walkthroughs, and in-person training.
2. Emergency responses- Medical and non-medical codes and the location of any equipment needed, such as fire extinguishers, crash carts, or med sleds. This can be included as part of Fire and Life Safety training and Department-Specific Orientation.
3. Access to the new facility- How staff accesses the new building, and their departments should be included in New Facility Orientation. Typically, this can be included in tours or walkthroughs of the new space. Any department-specific procedures, including which doors within the department require badge access, keypad codes, or keys to access, should be included in Department-Specific Orientation.
4. Paths of travel – Another element to address during New Facility Orientation and Department-Specific Orientation is the review of the most common paths of travel and elevator designations.
5. Overview of the new department- Department-Specific Orientation should include a thorough review of the department layout and new room locations, including patient care stations, medication rooms, clean and soiled utility rooms, nourishment stations, treatment rooms, collaboration and shared spaces, offices, and patient care rooms. Be sure to include any new or different rooms, such as airborne isolation rooms, procedure spaces, or treatment rooms.
6. New and different workflows, policies, equipment, and technology – Identify the interdisciplinary workflows that will be included in New Facility Orientation and which workflow processes will be managed by the individual departments and included in Department-Specific Orientation. Workflows that involve or impact multiple departments should be included in New Facility Orientation. The same rule applies to the evaluation of policies, equipment, and technology to include in the training. It is essential to communicate to department leaders ahead of time what is included in the overarching New Facility Orientation plan, so they understand what they will be responsible for training their department staff on during Department-Specific Orientation.
Now that you understand the New Facility Orientation plan elements, who needs to be included? This varies from state to state, but a good rule of thumb for staff and patient safety includes anyone who “lives” in the new facility, meaning their home department is located in the new space. It is also advised that staff that will support the departments in the new facility and will be required to go into the space regularly also be provided Fire and Life Safety training and New Facility Orientation.
When working with clients, we recommend using a Train-the-Trainer model. This method identifies Champions who will receive additional training, then help orient and train the rest of their department staff. The table below provides a baseline for the range of time required for the various trainings.
Picture above: Train-the-Trainer model.
A solid New Facility Orientation and Training program is a critical component to the success of Day 1 in the new building. When staff feels comfortable in their new environment, they can perform their daily responsibilities successfully!
I wish you all the best in your training program. Feel free to reach out with any questions- kguzman@consultyellowbrick.com.
Blog Contribution by Kelly Guzman MN, RN, EDAC, who is currently serving NIHD as the Board Past President. She is President and CEO of Yellow Brick Consulting.