Background information about LHC
Every health care institution is concerned with the level of health standards for reputation reasons. In this regard, the health care institutions employ the necessary mechanisms to improve the quality of their services. For instance, employing competent practitioners and adopting advanced technology in their organizations are some of the ways of improving their service delivery. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) is a body that evaluates the standards of health care services in the world. This body observed that insufficient training of the practitioners caused poor health care services in many health care institutions. As a result, there was invention of Louisiana Health Care (LHC) group that worked single-handed with the Department of Nursing (DON) at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette to evaluate the competency of the health care trainees. LHC is made up of various departments like homecare division and a hospice division. Currently, the organization enrols more than 1,551 students to pursue a degree in science. Initially, the organization admitted only six students to pursue the same degree program. In this regard, it is the largest organization with the massive admission in the world. Similarly, the organization also offers masters in science, which ensures the provision of advance nursing to the medical practitioners. DON provides the financial support to the organization to ensure consistent development within the organization. For example, DON provided 0.5million dollars for technological advancement within the organization. Precisely, this has been a major boost to the organization (Berenson, 2011). The organization has also formed partnerships with other organizations that provide support to the institution. For instance, American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is one of the partners to LHC, which provide support in terms of plan establishment, maintaining clear and open communication within the organization and formulation of the organizational visions.
Competency and validation process of JCAHO
Clearly, JCAHO evaluates the standards of education that a practitioner health care institution should have. Consequently, for any organization to be evaluated by JCAHO, it should portray a good plan that determines the level of competency validation. The plan should be able to consider the following. First, it should outline the necessary competencies to be evaluated. Secondly, it should show the period allocated for evaluation usually once after every 3years (Walshe, 2011). Finally, it should list the ways of performing the competency evaluation. This body recommends that the best way to measure the level of competency of the nurses be by allowing them to provide their materials that show they are understudies. Further, there should be a license to reveal the renewal of the studies. One advantage of this method is that it shows the entry level and validation of continuation hence fulfilling the competency.
Simulated clinical learning experiences
Simulated clinical learning experiences help in the evaluation of the competency of the nurses. Simulation will ensure proper safety of the patients and encourages the sequence of events (Walshe, 2011). For instance, to encourage aptitude in clinical decision-making process, most of the health care institutions prefer using computer simulations. Despite its efficiency in decision-making, simulations is preferred by most of the health care organizations because of its lower cost and its accuracy in the evaluation of the competency of the nurses.
Summary of the article
In summary, this article dwells on the competency of the nurses as a factor that will contribute to the quality service delivery in the health care sectors. The article employs the use of bodies like LHC and JCAHO that will evaluate the competency of the nurses. Moreover, other techniques that ensure quality service delivery in health care sectors include the use of simulated clinical learning experiences, education and practice collaborations, and simulated skills laboratory among others.
References
Berenson, L. (2011). Cultural competencies for nurses: Impact on health and illness. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett.
Walshe, K. (2011). Health care management (2nd ed.). Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: McGraw Hill/Open University Press.