SCA Health Goes Virtual with Periop 101

Presented by: Kelly Kapp, RN, CNOR, CNAMB; Falynn Dow, BS, RN, CNOR; Jessica Mullin, BSN, RN

Objective

Facilitate ASC Perioperative Education and Development to address the nursing shortage by investing in growth, recruitment and retention.

Description of Team

Interdisciplinary team

Operations leaders organization wide and ASC-facility based
Organizations that prioritize clinical-quality, patient safety, identified nursing shortages and maintain a zero-harm focus.
Identified AORN as premier organization for OR nursing practice
Selected well-qualified, experienced Periop RN to lead training

Assessment

Assessment confirmed need for OR RNs
Identified the need to educate clinical leaders with NO OR experience on best practices and patient safety strategies behind the RED LINE

COVID HITS WORLD IMPACT

Identify a viable education and training solution during pandemic
Identify an effective virtual training platform

Supports same level training as in-person, live program

Addresses OR RN shortage, enhances effective, safe staffing solutions

Preparation

AORN’s Periop 101: A Core Curriculum™ ASC Program training platform
Nurse Educator led a 12-week program with 10-12 nurses

In person classroom and skills labs

ASC-based clinical preceptorships

24 on-line perioperative nursing modules, emphasis on the basics

In person classroom style supplemented with MD & vendor in services
Role play, sharing of experiences, and skills lab and in-person training

COVID HITS WORLD IMPACT

COVID restrictions did not allow in-person training
Temporary ASC closure and/or significant case reduction
Identify alternatives to program without compromising quality
Led to design and launch of ALL VIRTUAL, accelerated 5-week program
LIVE training was replaced with VIRTUAL classroom and in services
Upon reopening, stayed VIRTUAL, returned to a full 12-week program
In-service presentations emphasis on patient safety
Developed a Clinical Leader Program to educate leaders with NO OR training on Best Practices behind the RED LINE

In-service emphasis on patient safety from the clinical leader's perspective

Testimonials from Program Participants

“SCA Health has given me the valuable gift of education to have the knowledge to better myself in my current role as Director of Nursing at a surgery center. With taking the PERIOP 101 virtual course, with expert instructors, it was feasible via zoom, and a sound commitment from all SCA Health invests in their employees and gives us opportunities that not all health care companies will.”

Jeannie Keane, Director of Nursing, SCA Health

“This program has provided me with an understanding of the WHY behind the actions, which helped me retain the information and learn I was able to refine the knowledge base that I already had and think about the bigger picture when it comes to patient safety. From a leadership perspective, I have been able to bring this knowledge back to my center and make many process improvements. The opportunity to participate in this program proves that SCA Health believes in their vision to 'strive to be the safest place to have surgery', and this program provides the knowledge and skills to fulfill this vision. Thank you for giving us the chance to do this class virtually, I think it worked out great and still felt like we were in a classroom together!”

Lindsey Hellriegel, Regional Quality Leader, SCA Health

Outcome

2019, pre-pandemic, 26 nurses completed the program
2020, mid-pandemic, 31 nurses completed the program
Virtual program completion rates supported the confirmation of a viable education and training solution
The VIRTUAL program promoted a broader reach of OR RN education and positively impacted the nursing shortage by investing in growth, recruitment and retention
2021-2023, Graduated 150 nurses; 40 were Clinical Leaders with no OR Background
Total YTD 207 Nurses have completed the program

Limitations

The Periop 101 program offers the ‘basics’ to perioperative nursing principles in practice.
Research is needed using defined data elements to measure and correlate higher quality of care with reduction in patient harm events

Implications

Periop 101 VIRTUAL training enhances the ability to:

Expand OR nurse education beyond the in-person classroom

Reach a broader audience with distance learning model

Develop high quality, skilled, competent Periop nurses to provide safe patient care in our surgical facilities

Raise the bar in clinical quality with frontline teammates

Support a ZERO patient harm culture

The Periop 101 teams growth to support an increase in OR trainees
Periop 101 Cohort expansion supports growing interest in OR training
Expansion in Clinical Leaders ability to better support frontline OR RN

Future Innovations

NEW Clinical leaders to complete the Periop 101 program within first 18 months of hire
New Grad Periop 101 Program
Nursing School Partnerships and Clinical Rotation sites

Acknowledgements

Dare Meeks, RN, MSN, CASC, Chief Nursing Officer, Group Vice President, SCA Health
Michelle George, RN, MSN, CASC, VP Clinical Quality, SCA Health
Dianne Buffington, RN, BSN, CNOR, CNAMB, Director, Clinical Quality, SCA Heath
Lee Anne Blackwell, RN, CNOR, CNAMB, SCA Health

Contact Information

Kelly Kapp, RN, CNOR, CNAMB
[email protected]

Falynn Dow, BS, RN, CNOR
[email protected]

Jessica Mullin, BSN, RN
[email protected]

Presented at:

OR Manager Conference second place poster winner showcases impactful program from 2023

By Marisa Torrieri

From highlighting the need for better preoperative nasal decolonialization to touting the success of personalized pediatric behavioral health interventions, the posters on display at the 2023 OR Manager Conference highlighted the exceptional work of clinicians in 2023.

Poster: “Go Virtual with Periop Training 101”

In response to the ongoing nursing shortage, healthcare systems are embracing programs to make it easier for clinicians to train. OR Manager spoke with Kelly Kapp, RN, CNOR, CNAMB, clinical education director, SCA Health, to learn more about the virtual program that inspired her poster.

Q: Can you tell us about the impetus for your Periop 101 program?

Kapp: The poster was developed from a program we implemented at SCA Health, the Periop 101 OR nurse training program. It was developed because of the nursing shortage in our country. Specifically in the OR, nurses are retiring and leaving the profession for various reasons. So, at SCA Health, we built an internal bench of OR nurses to address staff shortages. With the nursing shortage came an increase in the use of agency nurses to fill the gaps, presenting a different set of issues and problems. Our facility's policies and practices were unknown to the agency nurses, which increased the risk of patient harm. SCA Health’s clinical mission is to reduce and prevent patient harm, and this was the catalyst behind the program.

Q: To whom is the program offered?

Kapp: Our program is offered to SCA Health nurses who are interested in working in the OR. It's a 12-week virtual program that started post-COVID-19. The pandemic was difficult, but we turned a global crisis into an opportunity to educate. Despite the challenges, we adapted to the changing circumstances and launched an all-virtual program. Our ability to act swiftly in the face of a global pandemic has been the key to our success.

We transitioned to an all-virtual program within 4 weeks of the pandemic shutdown and noticed we could reach a larger audience of SCA Health nurses compared to in-person cohorts. Utilizing this model, we were not limited to one demographic area with just one person facilitating the cohorts.

Our current program offers a 12-week virtual curriculum to 15 SCA Health nurses in each cohort. We offer three cohorts three times a year using AORN's Periop 101 curriculum. To complement the curriculum, we added weekly in-service representatives of SCA Health’s patient safety initiatives; these are either SCA Health clinical leaders from inside the company or vendors or nurse leaders from outside. The training is geared toward building skills required for the frontline OR nurse. In addition, to emphasize the significance of patient safety, we also provide training on how to advocate for the patient and themselves as a nurse while working in the OR.

Q: Who did your team collaborate with to establish this program?

Kapp: In 2018, we started the process of creating an OR nurse training program and needed to find the right partner to provide us with the best foundational curriculum for OR training. AORN was our choice, as they have established the OR guidelines and offer unlimited resources for our nurses. Another crucial aspect was gaining buy-in from our operations leaders within the company. As part of this program, we offer our nurses a retention/incentive bonus. The aim is to encourage nurses to build their skills and knowledge while also providing a reason to stay with the company. We understand we cannot always prevent teammates from leaving, but we strive to create a culture that makes our healthcare facility a desirable workplace for nurses.

Q: What’s the next step for this initiative?

Kapp: We’ve made significant progress and have taken our program to the next level. Currently, we are finishing cohort 6, Periop 101 Clinical Leader Program, which is designed for clinical leaders who lack an OR background. This program provides SCA Health clinical leaders with the same foundation as the frontline OR nurses but with different presentations each week that emphasize the clinical leader's role instead of the frontline nurse. The program focuses on how to lead a team of nurses, surgical techs, and other staff who work behind the red line. The aim is to help clinical leaders better understand their roles and responsibilities and lead their teams more effectively.

Working in the OR is a unique environment with its own culture and challenges. It can be difficult to lead an OR team if you haven’t experienced their work firsthand. However, taking the time to learn and understand what your team members do can be a valuable experience for both the leader and the team. This creates a win-win situation where teammates appreciate their leader is taking the time to complete the program and take an interest in their work. The leader gains knowledge and understanding of their team's roles and responsibilities, leading to better collaboration and improved outcomes.