It’s no secret that healthcare is impacted by staffing shortages and turnover. During the past year, hospital turnover increased by 6.4% and currently stands at 25.9%. Recruiting and retaining virtual safety attendants is more challenging than ever. The “secret sauce” to maintaining a successful video monitoring program is in the details. We recently sat down with the experts to discuss how they created the sought-after role of a virtual safety attendant. Watch the webinar and see below for best practices for hiring, onboarding, and maintaining a program that keeps your virtual safety attendants engaged. Thought leaders:
– Tiffany Villamin, MSN, RN, CRRN, Nurse Manager, Patient Flow Support Services, VA North Texas Health Care System
It all starts with hiring. Virtual safety attendants are the lynchpin of a successful video monitoring program. A dedicated monitor staff member is one who makes patient care their top priority.
Proven tips:
BEST PRACTICE: Hackensack Meridian Health developed an “earn while you learn” program that helps learners get familiar with monitoring systems, work in the hospital setting, and communicate with patients. This program creates a pipeline of talent ready to take on new roles in the organization as they graduate. As an added bonus, those who went through the program are advocates for your virtual monitoring program throughout their careers.
Your onboarding strategy is the first impression of your monitoring program and sets the tone for the attendant’s experience. A robust training program helps to build staff confidence, and better engagement with their patients.
Proven tips:
BEST PRACTICE: Hackensack Meridian Health recognized that everyone plays a role in their monitoring program. They use AvaSure’s learning modules in their LMS for nursing and non-nursing roles so that when a STAT alarm goes off, everyone knows what to do without question. Those investments are worthwhile. Hackensack Meridian Health outperforms industry benchmarks on verbal interventions and STAT alarm response time.
The best way to keep your video monitoring program strong is to retain your core talent. The program hinges on the reputation of your virtual safety attendants as trusted partners to the nursing staff.
Proven tips:
BEST PRACTICE: VA North Texas Healthcare System designated a nurse responsible for administrative duties that ease the burden on the virtual safety attendant staff. This person is responsible for clinical coordination, data review, staff relief, education, and collaboration with the nursing staff. This role improved the partnership with nursing and raised the number of patients enrolled in the program.