2006 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
Critical Care Staff Self Assessments and Simulated Performance Lab used to Identify Educational Opportunities of a Respiratory Care Department.
Joel M Brown II BS RRT, John S.
Emberger BS RRT, Billie Speakman
BS RRT. Department of Respiratory Care Christiana
Care Health System,
Background: Often Respiratory Care Department's have
difficulty deciding what items to address when developing an education plan for
their staff. This dilemma may be caused
by the complicated task of balancing the management's perception of education
issues versus the staff perception of educational issues. In order to remedy this issue we developed a
tool using a staff self assessment and a simulated case scenario performance
lab to clarify education opportunities.
Methods:
We developed a list of 26 critical care objectives including: COPD
Management in the ER, COPD Ventilator Management, ARDS Management, and Weaning
and Extubation. These objectives were
then incorporated into a staff self assessment tool and a case scenario
performance lab. The self assessment and
case scenario were scored with the following one through four scale: 1= unable to perform objective, 2= able to perform
objective with instruction, 3= able to perform objective with a reference, 4=
able to perform objective. The results
from the staff self assessment was electronically collected by the staff
development personnel. All RCP's who scored
themselves less than three were sent an education packet on that topic. The RCP had a time period to review the education
materials and then the performance labs were scheduled. Both the assessment and performance lab scenario
were scored and the results were compiled.
Results: 83 out of 83 ICU eligible RCP's completed
both segments of the evaluation tool.
Each performance lab session took an approximately 90 mins. (Min 50mins -
Max 110min). All objectives that were scored
less than 3 on either tool were identified as departmental education
opportunities.
Conclusion: Using a Critical Care Self Assessment and a Clinical
Scenario can be an effective tool to accurately identify the education opportunities
of a Respiratory Care Department. In
addition, we were able to objectively assess the skill level of our department
and increase departmental moral by assuring the staff of the competence of
their co-workers.