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Inside scoop from our experts: Staff education departments

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, August 13, 2010

This week’s question on professional organization participation comes from a discussion on JourneyTalk. Gen Guanci, MEd, RN-BC, CCRN, a consultant with Creative Health Care Management in Minneapolis, MN, provides some insight..

Q: How do you calculate the productivity of your Nursing Education department?

A: Several years ago, while working in nursing professional development (education), I came to the realization that I was doing myself, and my department, a disservice by reporting out "productivity." I transitioned from reporting things such as "we held 20 classes and educated 200 people" to outcomes reporting. In other words, answering the question: "What is different as a result of our education activities?"

When I reported, I linked to our department activities to identified desired outcomes of specific education. I then linked these outcomes to our organizational goals and even pay for performance initiatives. Many of these are stretch goals or outcomes and some educators have a hard time relating their work to them.

Here's an example: You provide classes on computerized physician order entry (CPOE). One of the main reasons organizations implement CPOE is to reduce transcription errors. After all your classes, the order transcription error rate drops by 66%. Instead of reporting you held 20 classes and educated 200 people, you should report out that as a result of focused education, the order transcription error rate dropped by 66%. This helps validate the critical importance of nursing professional development's role in regards to patient safety and outcomes.

Editor's note: On JourneyTalk you can network with your peers, discuss the new manual, share your helpful tips, and get advice on how to meet the program's expectations. Become a member of JourneyTalk when you subscribe to HCPro's Resource Center for the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®.

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