Assessing, developing, and maintaining staff's competency in times of restructuring

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Education
• Staff Competency

Background:

• Hospital downsizing and reorganization often lead to nursing staff realignment.
• This necessitates continuous efforts by nurse educators to maintain and upgrade staff competency.
• A government healthcare facility in NYC faced challenges with unit closures and skill development needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement educational programs for nursing staff.
• To develop and utilize competency assessments to evaluate program effectiveness.
• To address skill gaps created by hospital restructuring.

Main Methods:

• Two distinct educational programs were created for staff transitioning to new roles.
• Competency assessments were developed to measure the impact of the training.
• The study discusses concepts of competency assessment, development, and maintenance.

Main Results:

• The educational programs prepared nursing staff for new duties.
• Competency assessments provided measurable outcomes regarding skill enhancement.
• The effectiveness of the interventions was evaluated through assessment tools.

Conclusions:

• Effective educational strategies are crucial during hospital reorganizations.
• Competency assessment is vital for validating staff preparedness.
• The developed programs and assessments successfully supported staff adaptation.