Enhanced Orientation for Nurses New to Long Term Care

Enhanced Orientation for Nurses New to Long Term Care

CFNU Conference Workshop

June 14 & 15, 2011

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

RTA National Project

• Coordinated by CFNU; national funding body is Health Canada

• National partners– Canadian Nurses Association

– Dieticians of Canada

– Canadian Healthcare Association

• 10 participating provinces/territory, each with a unique project

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

RTA Project Goals

• Evaluate the impact of different strategies (pilot projects) on the retention and recruitment of nurses

• Engage nurses unions, employers, governments and other health stakeholders in collaborative partnerships

• Develop resources that build capacity within the workplace

• Share and transfer knowledge within and across jurisdictions and professions

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Manitoba Project• Manitoba project stakeholders

– MNU– Manitoba Health– WRHA

• Project goal: Recruit and retain nurses new to long term care– Provide better orientation– Enhance profile of LTC– Develop nursing leadership skills/capacity– Enhance geriatric knowledge/skills– Interdisciplinary involvement– Sustainability and transferability of initiative

• 3 pilot PCHs in Winnipeg– 23 nurse participants (12 protégés and 11 mentors)

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

What did the Project Involve?

• 2 components of the enhanced orientation program;– Mentoring relationship between an

experienced nurse (mentor) and a new nurse (protégé)

– Knowledge and skill development

• Evaluation– Unit/PCH indicators– Surveys– Focus groups

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Mentorship

• Established mentoring partnerships for all 12 new nurses

• Provided 2 mentoring workshops– Skills workshop for the mentors

– Mentoring orientation for the mentors and protégés

• Mentoring support– Reference materials

– Mentoring relationship tools

– Ongoing contact with mentors/proteges

– Management support

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Clinical Knowledge and Skills

• ‘Excellence in LTC’ series of 6 clinical workshops– Protégés and mentors received funding to attend (MB Health)– Sessions offered to other staff in LTC– Total of 390 staff attended the 6 workshops– Workshop materials developed and distributed– Content: changes with aging, geriatric assessment,

medication challenges, presentation of illness/infection, differentiation between dementia/delirium/depression, dementia/behavioural care strategies, falls prevention and management, palliative care, pain assessment and management, nutrition, oral health, swallowing disorders, pressure ulcer prevention, continence care, nursing leadership

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Project Timelines

• Recruitment – April-August 2009

• Mentor workshop and orientation workshop – Sept 2009

• Baseline data collection – October 2009

• Mentorship relationship – September 2009 to April 2010 (or longer)

• Clinical workshops – October 2009 to April 2010

• Mid-point data collection – February 2010

• Final data collection - May-June 2010

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Benefits to the Protégés

• Positive effect on transition to LTC• Build skills and confidence to become an

effective nurse• Knowledge that they have someone they can

talk to and ask questions about anything• Mentors provide needed support; someone

to ‘go to’• Recognition that LTC is a specialty and

requires a special skill set• As a result of the project, motivated to

become mentors in the future

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Benefits to the Mentors

• Opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences– Starting out as a new nurse

– Can relate to the new nurses’ situation

• Able to provide moral support– Challenges with workload, stress, working relationships

– Able to provide support and suggestions

• Sense of satisfaction and professional growth (mentoring skills workshop)

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

National Project Key Findings

• Project participants share a general sense of optimism about the projects

• Participating nurses report higher job satisfaction and stronger workplace leadership compared to non-participants

• Participating nurses view the projects positively, particularly 80/20 and mentorship programs

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Project Sustainability and Legacy

• Enhanced Orientation Program Guide– 50 copies printed and distributed (regional, provincial,

national)

– 70 additional copies have been printed

• Adoption of the program and materials– WRHA Personal Care Program

– Mentoring materials – 2 rural RHAs in Manitoba

– Excellence in LTC workshops – PEI LTC program

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Looking Into the Future…

• What are the perceived benefits of an enhanced orientation program?

• What is needed to create sustainability of an enhanced orientation program?

• Are there opportunities for transferability of a similar program to other settings/areas of practice?

Enhanced Orientation for LTC

Questions? Comments?

??CFNU website www.thinknursing.ca

Deanne O’Rourke, RN, MN (204) 782-4624 2definesolutions@mts.net