[2 MIN READ]
When you serve clinicians with varying experience levels, how do you implement your triage training courses to create an ideal experience for each group?
While your implementation plan and structure might vary based on the size of your facility, our experienced triage educators outline these best practices to streamline your program and ensure that expectations are clear.
We understand staff shortages may make this process challenging. Feel free to edit this template or contact our client success team to help customize a plan to align with for your triage competency validation process.
New Nurses
New triage nurses should complete all 11 Triage Fundamentals courses. Spread out the required completion dates over a minimum three-month period.
New Graduate:
In some organizations, the new graduate already has a heavy training load to complete within 90 days (ACLS, PALS, etc.) As such, it’s just not realistic to expect this new nurse also complete all 11 Triage Fundamentals courses. Instead, once the new graduate is ready for orientation to triage, develop goals for the completion of the triage training courses. All 11 courses should be completed during the new graduate orientation to triage.
New Hire with no ED Experience:
Collaborate with the new hire to set a realistic course completion deadline based on when they are scheduled to triage independently. At a minimum, courses 1-4 should be complete prior to independent triage. If there are time constraints, courses 8-11 can be completed next, with courses 5-7 completed last.
New Hire with ED Experience:
While this new hire has ED experience, triage training courses are recommended to ensure that their perceptions of triage line up with organizational expectations. Courses 1-4 should be completed prior to starting triage independently. Then the remaining 7 courses can be completed within 90 days of hospital orientation completion.
Remediation
Our triage fundamentals courses can also be used for remediation. If an opportunity to improve care is identified for an individual nurse or department, specific courses may be assigned.
Implementing Education & Assessment Simultaneously
If your organization is simultaneously implementing the RSQ® Education and Assessment – Triage, we recommend starting with a baseline triage assessment before taking the courses.
In a baseline assessment, each nurse retrospectively reviews 5 of their own records for each high-risk chief complaint. The process is to be completed over one quarter. Waive the educational requirements during this baseline assessment process.
During the next quarter, nursing management evaluates the triage matching score and documentation reports and identifies opportunities for improvement in care. Management would then share reports with staff and develop and implement an action plan to address those opportunities. At the same time, nursing staff should begin taking the triage fundamentals courses.
Learn more about the retrospective self-assessment program here.
