Q:
What is a good way to gauge the current competency level of my staff?
A:
A practical and effective way to gauge the current competency level of your staff is to combine your Facility Assessment with hands-on skills validation.
Start by ensuring your Facility Assessment accurately reflects your current resident population, acuity, and services. This should guide what competencies your team needs to safely and effectively care for residents. Per Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) §483.71, facilities are required to use the Facility Assessment to determine the resources and competencies needed to care for residents—making it the foundation for evaluating staff competency.
To get started:
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- Identify required skills by role based on your resident population
- Use discipline specific competency checklists aligned with your policies and procedures
- Conduct a competency fair or skills validation day, including:
- Hands-on return demonstrations
- Skill-specific stations with sign in sheets, skills check off list, clinical supplies to complete skill (hands on demonstration), copies of the P&P for review and education, and written posttests (didactic knowledge)
- Qualified staff validating performance
- Track completion against your staff roster to identify gaps
- Use results to guide coaching, education, and performance reviews
The purpose of competency assessment highlights both the strengths and the development needs of staff. These insights allow leaders to establish targeted improvement goals at the individual and facility-wide levels. Remember, skills validation is only a snapshot in time. The staff is competent in performing a task today but that does not mean they do not need any further education, refreshers, or skills validation. Don’t wait for an error or incident before re-validating skills. Start developing a culture of competence today!
Next Steps:
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- Conduct a comprehensive Facility Assessment using Proactive’s Facility Assessment Toolkit or contact us for expert support in completing the mandatory Facility Assessment annual update.
- Contact Proactive for assistance in planning and administering a competency focused skills fair
- Access on-demand training options and resources to guide clinical and operational success as a subscribing member to the Proactive Solutions Center
Written By:
Donna Wharton, RN, MSNEd, QCP
Clinical Consultant
Proactive LTC Consulting
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