What brings more than 250 nurses and 15 clinical educators together over the course of six days? The answer: Independence Plus’ Annual Skills Competency Training.
For the last 26 years, annual evaluations have been a vital part of Independence Plus’ nursing education and training program. In 2006, the company began incorporating return skill demonstrations and continues to improve the program year over year.
Every nurse is required to complete one 4-hour session once a year, which includes return demonstrations of approximately 15 skills from emergency trach changes to medication test and calculations.
Commitment to Education
Our strong commitment to education is evident in the investment we make in each of our nurses through extensive education and training. Similarly, we want our nurses to invest in our patients by providing quality care and services.
“As a bedside nurse, I always made a point to connect with every single patient,” says Julie Hanson, RN, BSN, Clinical Education Manager. Julie manages our education program, which includes annual training and education classes.
She continues, “I look every patient in the eye to let them know they are human and deserve my respect. Many patients feel like they are an object or a disease. It’s my job, as an educator, to teach our nurses to care for the patient as a whole.”
Training and Education Classes
Our education team oversees a number of training classes throughout the year. To name a few:
Home Ventilator Training Class (7 contact hours): Every Monday, this class teaches basic volume ventilation, Pulmonetic/Carefusion LTV 950 and LTV 1150, and the Philips/Respironics Trilogy 100 Ventilator.
Spinal Cord Injury Class (2.5 contact hours): This new class provides an overview of the anatomy and function of the nervous system, as well as common complications and different body systems affected by spinal cord injuries.
Pre-Employment Class: All nurse applicants are required to successfully complete this training to learn specific protocols and procedures to use with our medically fragile, technology-dependent patients.
Family Ventilator Class: Patients and their families of all skill levels are encouraged to participate in this class to learn more about tracheostomy and ventilator care at home.
IPI CONNECT: IPI CONNECT is a quarterly networking event for our nurses, which features an educational presentation and discussion. Our next event is Wednesday, October 16 at 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Spotlight on ALS: A Nurse’s Role in the Home.
For more information about our training courses, please call (708) 366-4500 (option 2).
Why do you think it’s important to learn something new every day?