“EDRN School” – An Interactive Approach to Validate Competence and Performance

Abstract

Session E presented Friday, September 28, 10:00-11:00 am Purpose: Registered Nurse (RN) competency programs within hospitals have become a yearly standard. However, specialty areas such as Critical Care and Emergency Departments lack the necessary knowledge from these competency days to ensure their skills are evidenced based and relevant to their bedside care. Design: A mandatory Emergency Department RN (EDRN) course consisting of pre-course work, didactic lectures, hands on simulation, a post-course quiz, evaluation of the program and a three-month retention quiz was developed. This program provides the groundwork to identify learning assessment needs among the EDRN staff. It provided an avenue to develop competencies in a low stress and enjoyable environment by which to measure staff development. Setting: The course took place in a community hospital setting that is a satellite facility for the hospital's Winter Institute for Simulation, Education and Research (WISER). This setting provided classroom and simulation lab experiences . Participants/Subjects: The Emergency Department Unit Directors made the course mandatory for all the EDRN's. Eight EDRN's from an outlying facility were asked by their director to also participate as newly hired EDRN's. Research consents were obtained from each participant through WISER as well as video consents during simulation. The authors also obtained the CITI certification as part of WISER's requirements to practice through their institution. There was a total of 90 EDRN's who completed the course and its requirements. Methods: A program evaluation was conducted on how the anticipated goals of the program met the expectation of closing the gap between three different domains of education; knowledge, competence and performance. Scores on pre-and post-quizzes and program evaluations were analyzed for knowledge retention and feedback. Classroom didactics were provided by RN experts, pharmaceutical and program representatives as well as Emergency Department physicians. Hands on during classroom education was provided by these experts to lay the ground work for the simulation experience later in the day. Competence and performance were reviewed in real-time during simulation experiences. During simulation, immediate feedback to questions were given and performance errors were corrected. Data was compiled electronically through the WISER data base and analyzed using Excel software to compare results of pre and post course testing. Results/Outcomes: Based on the analysis, there was an 83 % improvement in scores, 9% stayed the same and 8% performed worse on their post course score. The highest improvement was 53 % with lowest decline at 29% by one participant. Three-month retention scores are still being compiled. Implications: Results indicated that providing the EDRN with relevant and repetitive information allowed for retention of knowledge post course.. Many participants felt the course was necessary to provide in depth competencies that are not obtained in hospital competency days. Strategies for education in the future were developed to apply to changing curriculums yearly to enhance knowledge and provide for an exciting experience in which to learn.