The Purpose of the Quality Improvement Initiative
The process of adaptation of the new nurse in the healthcare organization may be challenging and difficult, especially when the specialist does not have any working experience. For example, a student who has just finished university is stressed because of many diverse factors such as the new team, unknown equipment, specific rules of the organization, and others. More experienced workers usually help the newcomer to adapt and provide the required support. However, it makes their own efficiency lower as they do not concentrate on the patient and the process of treating but on the educational moments. In this case, it would be beneficial to establish a specific program of adaptation for the students after entering their first place of work. The purpose of this paper is to describe the particularities of the educational part and analyze the possible methods of its implementation in real life.
The Target Population or Audience
It is possible to assume that there are two primary audiences that would be influenced by the introduction of the program. Students are the target population as the educational system would be established specifically for them. Nevertheless, the implementation of this idea would have a noticeable impact on their patients. For example, students would be more competent in the sphere of cultural awareness and sensitivity as it is an essential component of good relationships (Hurrell et al., 2019). It provides an opportunity to work with patients with diverse backgrounds, which is beneficial for the healthcare organization.
The Benefits of the Quality Improvement Initiative
The university or the college help the student get the basic theoretical knowledge in their profession. However, many nurses starting their careers suffer from a lack of experience in the practical sphere. It is hard for them to establish relationships with the patients, choose the best option of the treating process, and provide the necessary care. The educational program is supposed to solve these problems on a high-qualified level (Garcia et al., 2017). There would be a tutor from one of the doctors or more experienced nurses who would help the student overcome the first difficulties. What is more, the specialist would share his or her knowledge which would make the process of adaptation faster and easier.
It is also possible to assume that the aid of the psychologist would be advantageous for the beginner. The expert may explain why the patient does not want to communicate or why the nurse does not want to establish relationships with a particular person. This situation occurs regularly, and the support of the psychologist is crucial for the student as the specialist would explain the reasons and the causes of personal feelings. Establishing relations with the patient would be beneficial for increasing the work motivation of the newcomer and his desire to perform better (Aragona et al., 2016). The standardized educational process with measurable results would enhance the effectiveness of the healthcare organization in general, and the process of student’s adaptation in particular.
The Interprofessional Collaboration
The help of professional tutors would be necessary for the successful functioning of the program. It would be crucial to collaborate with doctors and nurses from the hospital. Moreover, external psychologists have to work with the students to help them cope with the stress and give advice about their behavior with the patient. The involvement of professors and teachers would be useful because they would evaluate the level of knowledge of the beginner and help him or her understand which information is needed for their further improvement in this sphere. The participation of the governmental representatives is also an essential part of the process as they are supposed to control the efficiency of the program and its implementation.
The Cost or Budget Justification
Supplementary salaries of the professors, psychologists, and experienced nurses would be a major part of the budget. It can be observed that the program requires significant preparation before its implementation. The professionals have to establish the educational methodology, the schedule of the student, the evaluation system. This part may be costly and require the help of experts from diverse spheres such as management or government relations. It is necessary to introduce a system of bonuses for both professional workers and students in order to succeed and reach the required results. It would be a motivator to perform better and to make the process faster. The project should be funded from the governmental budget, but it is also possible to ask for supplementary financial aid educational centers or private healthcare organizations.
Evaluation
The system has to be evaluated according to the results of the student and the quantity of the actions performed by the professionals. In order to make this system more measurable, it is necessary to create a standardized approach that would achieve harmonization on the governmental level (Garcia et al., 2017). The results of the students, the level of involvement of the professors and psychologists, the satisfaction of the patient are supposed to be the major factors for the evaluation of the efficiency of the educational methodology. The in-depth interviews with the participants of this project and the detailed analysis of the particular cases would be the main parts of the estimation system.
References
Aragona, E., Ponce-Rios, J., Garg, P., Aquino, J., Winer, J. C., & Schainker, E. (2016). A quality improvement project to increase nurse attendance on pediatric family centered rounds. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 31(1), 3–9. Web.
Garcia, M. G., Watt, J. L., Falder-Saeed, K., Lewis, B., & Patton, L. (2017). Orienting and onboarding clinical nurse specialists: A process improvement project. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 31(3), 163–168. Web.
Hurrell, S. R., Cliff, T. L., & Robertson, C. L. (2019). School nurse cultural competency development using the national CLAS standards: A quality improvement project. The Journal of School Nursing, 2(1). Web.