All too often, the ambulatory care setting is a forgotten area that does not get nearly the attention that the inpatient setting receives when it comes to onboarding new employees, even though this care setting exists as the patient's medical home and where patients flow through at a much greater volume than the inpatient setting. While newly hired inpatient nurses and clinical staff receive ample time to train in their new positions, outpatient clinical staff do not always receive the attention they need to ensure patient safety and quality are being met when they are first hired into a healthcare organization, even though they are interacting with patients, administering medications and procedures, and are depended on by both providers and the patient to ensure that they are competent in the care they give to this population of patients. Many patient injuries and incidents have occurred for the simple lack of support and training these clinical staff members receive upon hiring. The outpatient ambulatory setting employs medical assistants, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, and although they have been through an educational program, outpatient medical offices have lofty expectations that they have covered every detail in their training. Because of the lack of attention that these staff members receive from the medical offices upon employment, patients are often at risk for injury, turnover of staff is high, and medical offices suffer.
Description of Project:
A robust, comprehensive onboarding program was created for the outpatient clinical staff including simulation, extensive preceptorship and competency completion to ensure patient safety and quality is met before the new employee even steps into their new role independently.
Outcomes:
New employees feel supported and satisfied with their orientation experience, patient safety is elevated, quality is being taught at the front end.
Implications for Global Health Nursing:
The outpatient setting across the world can benefit from increasing onboarding and training of new clinical staff to ensure patient safety and quality are being met in this arena.