Welcome to Washington Regional. We are glad you’re here!

We have put together a simple but relevant Orientation Program for you in order to acquaint you with the

information we believe you need for successful onboarding experience. This electronic tool allows you to

“orient” at your convenience.

The Medical Staff Services Department is where your application and badge are processed. We are open

Monday – Friday 8:00AM – 4:30PM. Medical Staff Services is located on the Garden Level (ground floor)

of the Hospital, through the double doors adjacent to the cafeteria. Go right, towards Medical Records and

you’ll find Medical Staff Services on your left. Please notify us if anything changes regarding your

observation period. Badges must be worn at all times during your shadowing and must be worn at or above

the waist with the photo clearly visible. Please notify us immediately if your badge is lost or stolen. If after

hours, please contact Security at (479) 463-1170 or extension 1170 from a Hospital phone.

There are 2 parts to this orientation program:

1. HIPPA / Confidentiality, safety, and behavior conduct expectations and responsibilities presentation

2. Complete the HIPPA and Safety quizzes (which are addressed within the presentation), sign the

Orientation Attestation, and return all three documents to Medical Staff Services via email at

medstaff@wregional.com or via fax at (479) 463-7776.

Please expect 30 minutes to review the enclosed information and complete the required documents.

For further information or questions, please feel free to contact Medical Staff Services at

medstaff@wregional.com or by calling (479) 463-6520.

Best Regards,

Medical Staff Services

WELCOME !

About Washington Regional

Washington Regional opened its doors on August 28, 1950 as “Washington County

Hospital” with 50 beds, 27 physicians, and 65 employees.

Today, Washington Regional is a non-profit acute care facility licensed for 366 beds

with the area’s largest and most diversified medical staff of 458 physicians representing

almost every specialty, 151 Allied Health Professionals, and 2,700 employees. We’ve

been consistently named the area’s healthcare provider of choice by the nation’s largest

and most comprehensive independent study measuring hospital performance and

consumer preferences.

Washington Regional Medical System is a network of a hospital and clinics serving 5

counties across Northwest Arkansas. More people in Northwest Arkansas turn to

Washington Regional for maternity care, emergency services, inpatient, and outpatient

hospital services than any other hospital or health system in the region.

National Ranking: Washington Regional Medical Center has been named one of the

nation’s Best Regional Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Washington Regional

is the only hospital in Northwest Arkansas to be recognized by the publication.

Mission - Washington Regional is committed to improving the health of the people in

communities we serve through compassionate, high quality care, prevention and

wellness education.

Vision - To be the leading healthcare system in Northwest Arkansas – the best place to

receive care and the best place to give care.

Values - To treat others – patients and their families, visitors, physicians, and each other

– like we would want to be treated.

To prepare for your Clinical

Rotation or Shadowing

Experience , you need to know:

• Information about the hospital – including our Mission, Vision and Values

• Information about what shadowing is and how to prepare for your shadow experience

• Safety/Code information

• About Confidentiality and HIPAA

• Who to contact if you have questions

Mission Washington Regional is committed to improving the health of

people in communities we serve through compassionate, high

quality care, prevention and wellness education.

To treat others – patients and their families, visitors, physicians,

and each other – like we would want to be treated.

Values

To be the leading healthcare system in Northwest Arkansas ---

the best place to receive care and the best place to give care.

Vision

Clinical Rotations or

Shadowing in Healthcare

• An appointment that has been arranged for you to participate in a clinical rotation or observe a healthcare professional as they perform their duties.

What you need to know

• It is a privilege to have a clinical rotation or to shadow at

any health care facility, clinic or hospital.

– This is a learning experience.

– You are expected to act in a professional manner at all times.

– You must agree to follow our policies involving patients and their

privacy.

– Safety and patient protection are important considerations in a

health care facility

Look the Part

• You must follow the hospital’s dress code.

• Healthcare is a professional environment and

you will need to dress appropriately.

• In addition to dress, always remember

makeup, jewelry, and perfume (creates

respiratory reaction for sensitive people)

– Everything in moderation.

Dress the Part

• Flat comfortable closed-toed walking shoes are required.

– Clean tennis shoes are a good choice

• Dress slacks must be worn.– Shorts or capris are unacceptable

• Collared Shirt or Sweater– Polo shirts are a good choice

Dress the Part

• Not allowed:– blue jeans

– sandals or open-toed shoes

– strapless or spaghetti strap tops

– bare midriffs

– hip hugger pants

– Shorts or capris

– exposed undergarments

– nose, eyebrow, tongue, lip and body jewelry

– body tattoos must be covered

– No Artificial Nails – poses an infection hazard

Smoke Free Campus

Washington Regional is a smoke free campus. In 2006,

the Arkansas legislature made it a misdemeanor

offense to smoke on any hospital property. Our smoke-

free status includes all interior and exterior space

owned and operated by Washington Regional. This

includes all parking lots and vehicles parked on the

property.

PARKING

• Parking is available in lots K, L, M,

and V

• Do NOT leave valuables in sight

• Lock your vehicle

• Towing policy

• In the event of an emergency or other unusual occurrence, the hospital has developed several code words to alert staff that a specific action or procedure must be implemented immediately

• The code words are simply referred to as CODES and are announced over the hospital’s PA system.

• In the event a CODE is announced, the person supervising you will direct you either to a safe place or direct you to take specific actions.

Safety

Hospital Codes & Emergency Numbers

Emergency Phone Line #1234 TREX 3333Red---------------Fire – RACE and PASS

White------------Hazmat/Bio-Terror Emergency

Yellow-----------Internal/External Disaster

Green-----------Kidnapped, Missing or Escaped Patient (16 years & older)

Purple-----------Combative or Disruptive Patient

Gray--------------Tornado danger - approaching hospital

Silver-------------Active Shooter on hospital grounds (Code Silver: Run, Hide, Fight)

Pink-------------- Infant/Child Abduction (Under 16 years)

Black------------- Bomb Threat/Suspicious Letter

Cardiac Conference----Cardiac or Respiratory Emergency

Code Red – Call 1234

Fire Safety (RACE)

• R-Rescue

• A-Alarm

• C-Contain

• E-Extinguish/Evacuate

Using Fire Extinguishers(PASS)

• P-Pull safety pin

• A-Aim at the base of fire

• S-Squeeze the handle

• S-Sweep side to side

Electrical Safety

Electrical equipment used within the facility must be inspected

and tagged to assure safety for workers and patients

Preventative MaintenanceDate Due ____________________

Signature ____________________

UAL BE106BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE

NOT REQUIRED

General Hospital Equipment

NON-PATIENT AREASINSPECTED_________BY__________

REINSPECTION DUE______________This device safe for intended use under normal

operating conditions at the time of inspection.

Equipment with

RED stickers is

NOT SAFE for

use in ANY area

of the hospital. It

is tagged for

repair.

BioMed Stickers = ONLY equipment

with one of these

stickers may

be used in direct

patient care.

BLUE Stickers = for office LAVENDER Stickers =

or classroom use. employee owned. Not safe in patient areas.

Hazardous Communication- Safety Signs

The following signs will be seen throughout the facility. You should

understand what they mean.

B. MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) Located in Nuclear Medicine, this equipment emits a powerful magnetic field. No pacemakers, metal implants or metal objects should be taken into the room during magnet operation. Consult Imaging Department staff before entering. Patients and staff must complete an MRI screen before entering. Warning: DO NOT enter this room unless

authorized to do so by the technician. STRONG

MAGNETIC FIELD

WARNING

A. Radiation Hazard exist in the following departments:

• Imaging/Nuclear Medicine / Cath Lab

• Laboratory

• All Portable X-Ray Machines

C. REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE (BIOHAZARD)The “Biohazard” symbol is visible on all containers – approved for:

Waste, such as certain body fluids, blood, tissue, sharps and other

waste designated by policy. We have red bags, sharps containers,

& other containers marked with this symbol. Handling biohazards

requires the use of PPE. This may include: gloves, eye

protection/face shield and/or protective gloves

About Confidentiality and

Privacy for Patients

Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act (HIPAA)

What is confidentiality?

• Confidentiality is keeping information secret and private.

• In healthcare, confidentiality goes a step further…– HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act.

• HIPAA is a federal privacy law that health professionals follow in order to keep a patient’s medical information confidential.

• HIPAA regulations affect each and every staff member at a hospital, clinic or facility providing care to patients.

• Volunteers and visitors are also affected.

HIPAA also affects you!

• HIPAA These regulations apply to you, too.

• Realize that working at a health care facility

is not like other places of work.

• It is crucial that a patient’s health

information(PHI), treatment, address, age,

social security number and phone number

is kept confidential to maintain their trust

and provide appropriate care.

What exactly does this mean?

– This means the staff at any health care facility has a

legal duty to protect a patient’s privacy.

– It is a patient’s right to be treated confidentially in a

health care facility or by a healthcare professional.

– It is also very important that a patient knows that his/her

privacy is protected.

• If patients feel that they can not trust us with their information,

they may withhold important information for fear of it getting

exposed

Why is this so important?

– If a patient withholds this information, a

doctor will not have all the information he

or she may need to correctly diagnose

the patient

– This might interfere with our ability to

provide appropriate care for them

During your experience:

• You will be expected to keep confidential

any and all information you learn about a

patient

• There may be some situations that you may

not participate in because a patient does

not wish to have his/her care “observed.”

• DO NOT discuss patient information

with anyone.

• In order to understand better and to

put it in perspective…

What if?

• You found out that you had a sexually

transmitted disease.

– How would you feel if your doctor told his

son that went to your school, and the son

told everyone at school?

What if?

• Your best friend was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

– How would you feel if someone from the hospital told his family that went to your school, and the family member told everyone at school before this person told them?

What if?

• You are a star athlete. The state

championship is a day away and you

were just injured.

– What would happen if someone at the

hospital told the media that you weren’t

playing and your team was now going to

lose?

Confidentiality is important…

• That is why healthcare facilities have policies like

HIPAA.

• Luckily, you now know that if YOU ever needed to

be treated for something you would not like anyone

to know about, the people that treat you are legally

required to protect that information.

– They would not share that information with anyone, not

even their family members.

This policy applies to everyone!

• Everyone who works at a healthcare facility

knows the importance of the confidentiality

of patients.

• Even the staff workers who do not regularly

interact with patients understand that if they

do obtain information for whatever reason,

it is to be kept confidential.

"It is sometimes difficult to..."

• understand that you may learn

information that you can not even tell

your mom, dad, or best friend.

– But, it is extremely important that you

understand and comply with this policy in

order to be a part of any shadowing

program.

Here are some possible

situations that you could

encounter while shadowing in

healthcare.

• A girl that you went to junior high with

is in the maternity ward because she

just had a baby.

• You see a classmate’s mother who is

being hospitalized and treated for

depression.

• You see the daughter of a teacher at

your school getting help for problems

with an eating disorder.

• You see Bobby Petrino walking down

the hall in a hospital gown.

• You see a friend from church that

looks really sick, and think that it

would be nice to tell the minister at

church to visit him during his

hospitalization.

• You see a neighbor that is hospitalized

because he is getting heart surgery.

Any of these situations could very

likely happen…

• Even though it may be very tempting to tell

someone else who may know the patient

about what you saw, you can not share or

talk about this information with anyone

– (other than the person you are shadowing with

at the hospital).

"Even if you think that..."

• Even if you think that you may be

helping by sharing a patient’s

information with someone else,

– you still are not able to disclose any

information.

• Often times patients do not want anyone, even their own families, to know they are in the hospital.

• Always remember…– It is a patient’s right to receive treatment or care

and that the visit be kept confidential

• You must keep a patient’s information confidential.

There are no exceptions!

• It is human nature to be curious and to want to share interesting information, but when dealing with patients’ information.

There are no exceptions!

• Even if you really trust your best

friend, and you make your friend

promise not to tell anyone, it is still

violating the confidentiality of a patient.

• Who knows how many people your

friend will tell after making other

people promise not to tell?

• Also, refrain from giving all the details about someone, and thinking that you are not breaking any rules because you withheld the person’s name.

• It is not difficult to hear specific details about someone and figure out who they are.

• Someone could hear you talking and think,

– “That sounds just like Ben’s mom.”

DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE PATIENTS,

THEIR INFORMATION OR SPECIFIC

PROCEDURES AT ALL,

AT ANY TIME.

• If you have any questions about what

is and what is not appropriate to share

and talk about, please ask.

• Healthcare practitioners and facilities

want to make sure that you have the

proper information to deal correctly

with all the situations you will

encounter.

There are Consequences!

• The healthcare facility where you are

shadowing is required by law to keep a

patient’s information confidential

• More importantly, as someone

shadowing at that facility, YOU are

required by law to keep a patient’s

information confidential

• There are serious consequences for

violating a patient’s confidentiality.

• Criminal penalties for improperly

disclosing PHI can be as high as

$250,000 in fines and up to 10 years

in prison.

Just remember…

• Don’t tell anyone who you saw while

shadowing.

• Don’t share patient information.

• Learn from your experience.

• Consider healthcare as a profession.

• Have a good time!

HIPAA and Safety Exam for Student Clinical Rotations or Observers

Name: ______________________ Date: ________________________

INSTRUCTIONS: Circle the letter you feel is the best answer. Be sure you complete the personal information at the top of the answer sheet.

1. The criminal penalties for improperly disclosing patient health information can be as high as fines of $250,000

and up to 10 years in prison.

a. True

b. False

2. Confidentiality and privacy are important concepts in healthcare because they allow our patients to feel

comfortable sharing private healthcare information.

a. True

b. False

3. You are in the emergency department and see that a neighbor has just arrived for treatment after a car crash.

Which of the following would be appropriate for you to do?

a. Contact the neighbor’s spouse to alert him or her about the accident

b. Say nothing and pretend you didn’t recognize your neighbor

c. Tell an emergency department nurse that you know how to reach the patient’s spouse and offer the

information if it is needed

4. Confidentiality protections cover not just a patient’s health-related information, such as why they are being

treated, but also information such as address, age, social security number, and phone number.

a. True

b. False

5. All protected health information is covered under HIPAA’s privacy rule and our policies whether it is spoken,

written, printed, or electronically transmitted.

a. True

a. False

Safety Quiz

INSTRUCTIONS: Circle the letter you feel is the best answer. Be sure you complete the personal information at the top of the answer sheet.

1. The single most important procedure for preventing the spread of infection is: A. Wiping up any body fluids C. Proper Hand Hygiene B. Holding your breath D. Wearing gloves.

3. Staff, contract workers and students are required to wear identification badges at all times when on duty in the facility. A. True B. False

Match the following emergencies with the correct Emergency Preparedness Codes.

6. Combative or Disruptive Patient A. Cardiac Conference 7. Tornado danger B. Code Purple 8. Cardiac or Respiratory Emergency C. Code Green 9. Kidnapped, Missing or Escaped Patient D. Code Gray

10. If you hear a Code Silver announced by the operator, you should seek cover in a room that can be locked or barricaded and turn off all the lights because there is an active shooter on the campus.

A. True B. False

11. The preferred ways to announce a Code Red are: A. Dial 1234 or notify your Director C. Pull the fire alarm or yell Code Red

B. Yell Code Red or call PBX D. Pull the fire alarm or dial 1234

12. The correct actions to take in the case of a fire is: RACE

A. Run from the room, pull the fire Alarm (or dial 1234), Call for help, Extinguish the fire and evacuate.

B. Run from the room, pull the fire Alarm (or dia/1234), Call for help, Exit the building, C. Rescue the patient to safety, pull the fire Alarm (or dial 1234), Contain the fire by closing

doors, Extinguish the fire and evacuate. D. Rescue the patient to safety, pull the fire Alarm (or dial 234), Check on the fire in the room,

Extinguish the fire and evacuate. 13. Equipment with a green electrical sticker is safe to come in patient contact. A. True B. False

14. Equipment with a red electrical sticker is not safe to be used anywhere.

A. True B. False Match the following symbols with the appropriate term: 20. Radioactive Materials 21. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imager)

22. Biohazard

A. B. C.

Name: __________________________________ Date: __________________

Observer Orientation Attestation

I have received the orientation package and have a working knowledge of the items

listed below. The orientation program provided me with an opportunity to obtain

clarification of my questions and understand my role and responsibilities as an observer

at Washington Regional Medical Center. I agree to abide by the Washington Regional

Medical Center hospital policies and procedures.

About Washington Regional Medical Center, including our Mission, Vision, and Values

Safety / Code Information

Confidentiality and HIPPS

Obtaining a Badge

_________________________________ ______________________

Signature Date

__________________________________

Printed Name

Medical Staff Services Department

Hours: 8AM – 4:30PM Monday - Friday

Medstaff@wregional.com

Phone: (479) 463.7981

Fax: (479) 463.7776