Providing long term care facility staff training is necessary in an industry with constantly new regulations, a changing demography, and complex resident needs. There are a few things that should be kept in mind when training your staff, so you can enhance the experience and make your long term care facility better.
Everyone should be involved in training. Facilities shouldn’t randomly choose who gets to have training, and it’s important for everyone to understand how their role provides service to residents. It can be a big undertaking to have everyone be trained, but your facility can run much smoother and everyone will know more about the critical role they play.
Each specialty should receive customized training. Registered nurses shouldn’t receive the same education as dietary staff or physicians. Long term care facility staff training should be specific to each employee’s role and the training should explain why this information is necessary to the role they are in.
If possible, it’s good to consider different and preferred learning methods. Not everyone learns the same way. This can be difficult when you are already training your whole staff, but it can also be beneficial. For example, scheduling can be difficult for in service training, especially when staff has a job to do. However, if you have a more flexible learning environment with online training, you may be able to offer training in a few different ways so that staff can learn the way that makes sense to them. Online training can also help better track progress.
It’s important to manage expectations. A job in healthcare is already demanding, and with new regulations it can be overwhelming. It’s important to make training easy on your staff with multiple sessions so they can better digest all the information. Be ready to answer any questions during the time, so staff feels like they have support during this time when things get busy.
Once staff has completed training, make sure to acknowledge accomplishments. It doesn’t need to be something big, but a small gesture, such a certificate, can make a big difference in motivating the staff.
Once you are done with training, it’s important to make sure you analyze training and how well your staff is doing afterward. For the staff to feel confident in what they have learned, it’s necessary to be conscious of their development and any improvement that has been made.
Even if your facility already has training in place, remember that new approaches can make a difference. At the same time, it’s necessary to make sure your staff has ongoing opportunities to learn new skills and improve their knowledge. With better training, you can increase the care you give to your patients.
