2006 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
TIME SPENT AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFERRED ORIENTING NEW RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS AT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC: DETERMINING BASELINE MEASURES FOR COMPARISON AFTER IMPLEMENTING AN ON-LINE ORIENTATION SYSTEM
Ed Hoisington, R.R.T., Lucy Kester, R.R.T., M.B.A., F.A.A.R.C., Nichole Santori, James K. Stoller, M.D., M.S.c.,
F.A.A.R.C., The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio
Background: Orientation of new respiratory therapy staff is a time-intensive activity. In an effort to streamline new employee
orientation for members of the Section of Respiratory Therapy at the Cleveland
Clinic, we created a series of on-line modules regarding important non-clinical
orientation topics (e.g. New Hire Orientation, The Respiratory Therapy Consult
Service, Code Blue Procedures) with short post-tests to assess takeaway
knowledge. With a goal to assess the
impact of this on-line system on knowledge gained and time spent orienting new
therapists (RTs) to our Section, the current abstract presents baseline data
(i.e., before implementing the on-line program).
Methods: The
on-line orientation consisted of a series of 9 modules addressing important
orientation topics, including general topics for newly hired RTs and specialty area-specific information (e.g. The
Medical Intensive Care Unit, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, etc.). To allow assessment of the impact of this
on-line orientation program on knowledge transferred and time spent orienting
newly hired RTs, we determined baseline measures of: 1. the time spent
orienting each new hire RT before the on-line system was implemented (i.e.,
when all orientation was conducted with in-person interaction), and 2. RTs' knowledge of orientation content.
Results: Seven newly hired RTs
agreed to participate. The post-orientation quiz consisted of 20 questions
regarding information communicated during the in-person orientation
process. The table presents individual
results.
| Therapist | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Percent Correct Responses (N=20) | 95% | 85% | 95% | 85% | 85% | 70% | 85% |
The mean % of correct
responses was 86%. Frequently missed
questions regarded basic RT responsibilities (e.g. shift call-off timeframe and
assignment area responsibility) and Section procedures rather than respiratory
therapy issues. The mean per therapist
time spent in orienting new RTs at baseline (i.e.
before implementing the on-line system) was 4.5 hours.
Conclusions: Orientation
of newly hired respiratory therapists regarding non-clinical topics is time-intensive,
requiring a mean of 4.5 hours per RT using an in-person orientation
program. Also, post-orientation quiz
responses indicated sub-optimal transfer of information, especially regarding
Section procedures (e.g., therapist call-off policy). Though based on a small sample size, these
data provide baseline measures against which to compare orientation time and
post-orientation test results using a new on-line orientation system which is
being implemented at the Cleveland Clinic.