Page 6

Volume 1, Issue 1



 
“Inpatient units rely heavily on temporary help from agencies. This impedes performance improvement because hospitals have far less control over the training environment.”
 
 
 
 
Be a Network
Researcher for PIN.

If you are interested in networking, collaborating, and brainstorming for a better service delivery of mental health and want to diminish abuse in the system, then, we need you!

We are looking for individuals that want to get involved and meet 1 to 2 times a month to advance performance improvement (PI) in all areas of mental health systems.

Contact:

Kathi Stringer

http://www.toddlertime.com/contact.htm 
12—Lack of Contact with Trained Professionals
In today’s inpatient settings, the persons with the most training have the least amount of contact with the patient. It is not unusual for a nurse to sit behind a glass barrier the entire shift without speaking with the patients. However, Mental Health Workers (MHW’s) that have the most contact with the patient have little or no training. I have personally witnessed the training of MHW’s that amounted to a casual ‘walk-through’ before starting the next day. Problems arise when the nurse is relying on information as interpreted by the worker. The nurse charts the MHW’s perception and NOT the nurses. Since the MHW does not have training on objective reporting, things get distorted as they are presented to the nurse. Next, it is not usual for the nurse to order interventions without personally assessing the situation for herself/himself. In essence, all of her/his training is of little value in these matters. The lack of empathy training from the MHW’s can worsen the situation.

13—Temporary Help
 
Inpatient units rely heavily on temporary help from agencies (Riverside, Up to 70%). This impedes performance improvement because hospitals have far less control over the training environment. And, the temporary staff has significantly less motivation

since their jobs are not as attractive. A first step to improve performance would entail designing a framework with employees that are consistent with the job environment and job training.

It appears at this time, the

 use of temporary help through outside agencies satisfies staffing requirements for auditors, with the emphasis of the county mental health management getting paid rather than performance improvement for the consumer

8—Team Alliance and Performance
 
Why training is so important for team alliance and performance.

Group training that incorporates exchanging recent inpatient experiences and role-play for critical examination and feedback will promote interest. For instance, lets say a patient

 is getting agitated and a staffer sees this as an  opportunity to use his training, as a challenge to deescalate the situation, rather than being ‘put-out.’ The staffer employs skills and tools reviewed in training, and a fellow staffer notices. “Hey, you handled that great! The client is actually beginning to respond in a positive way. High five!” Or “Hey, I checked out how you handled that.  I’m impressed! How did you do that exactly?” In cases like these, the work has become more stimulating now and techniques are observed and refined for performance improvement. The work has moved into a sense of accomplishment through knowledge.

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