Nursing Professional Development: Stories, Tips, and Techniques
Michele L. Deck MEd, BSN, RN, LCCE, FACCE

$3.95 		Journal for Nurses in Professional Development
August 2012 
Volume 28  Number 4
Pages 198 - 200
 
  PDF Version Available!

ABSTRACT
In this issue, we present two approaches to validating competency of staff. The first describes a card on which skill validation can be tracked. This novel approach uses a business-sized form that can be carried in a nurse's badge holder. The second approach describes an information packet containing information that the nurse studies before attending a skills lab. In addition to saving staff time while in the skills lab, the information packet can be used as a unit resource.Skills tracking and completion of education that is compulsory for each staff member is a time-consuming activity but must be accomplished to meet organizational as well as regulatory requirements. Nursing staff are offered a variety of ways to validate their skills such as skills validation meetings, scheduled simulated patient experiences, or validation at the bedside while they are performing patient care with a validated skills trainer.In 2010, this educator developed a skills validation tool to verify nursing staff completion of hands-on skills. Employees must carry an identification badge to identify themselves to patients and to complete their patient care. Nurses have a holder for this badge. Creating a tool that would fit into this holder seemed appropriate to identify hands-on skills requirements.Any change in practice requires key stakeholders to agree and see the benefit of the change. Stakeholders in this situation are the clinical nurse manager, educators, trainers, and nursing staff. All involved would need education to benefit from the use of the "skills tracker."The tool (skills tracker) design was created for a specific nursing area. The tool is a 2 x 3.5 in. card (business card size). On the front, in table format, the small squares identify the skill (see Figure 1); on the reverse side are lines for the trainer's initials and signature (see Figure 2). The skills tracker fits neatly into the nurse's badge holder and is carried daily, and thus, skills can be validated during work

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