Bench Building during COVID-19: Creating Capabilities and Training Teams.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Education
• Infectious Disease Preparedness

Background:

• A 12-bed community hospital, Keller Army Community Hospital, prepared for a surge in critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The hospital lacked Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds and mobilized resources to establish a negative pressure Corona Virus Unit (CVU) with seven ICU and two step-down beds.
• A plan was developed to expand total bed capacity from 12 to 45 beds within 24 hours.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish an ICU within a CVU.
• To implement a three-day curriculum for training mixed teams of critical care and non-critical care nurses.
• To prepare staff to manage critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Main Methods:

• A critical care curriculum was developed by nursing leaders and education staff, incorporating didactic materials and hands-on training for 34 nurses.
• Nurses with varied experience levels, from licensed practical nurses to advanced practice nurses, participated in cross-leveling training.
• Training covered essential critical care skills including PPE use, mechanical ventilation, catheter management, hemodynamics, and pharmacotherapy, with skills stations for practical application.

Main Results:

• A fully functional ICU and CVU was established within seven days, with 34 nurses completing the training.
• The didactic component had a 94.65% completion rate, and 100% of nurses completed hands-on skills training.
• The program ensured operational readiness during the surge, with ongoing monthly refresher training to maintain competencies.

Conclusions:

• The training program continues to develop new staff and adapt to evidence-based guideline changes.
• Training has evolved to include normal inpatient operations alongside COVID-19 patient care.
• Refresher courses for COVID-19 patient care are ongoing in anticipation of future surges.