Cath Lab Digest - September 2007 - (Page 37)

37 Considering the rate of change in technology and the increased emphasis on performance improvement, the growth of the invasive cardiology profession has been a dynamic one. It has had many benefits, one of which has been the ability to integrate change and eliminate what doesn’t work. We must also pay close attention to competencies, which need to be nurtured and protected, because knowledge can fade away if it is not used. The ACVP Standards & Competencies include behaviors and developed criteria which can help an educational facility or training department: • Evaluate the quality of training courses under development; • Evaluate the quality of training delivery; • Evaluate the effectiveness of the department and its products; • Identify the professional development needs of students or current staff; • Develop job descriptions; • Evaluate prospective candidates for positions; • Develop and/or select appropriate courses or curricula to train professionals; • Develop a systematic approach to developing, implementing and managing training. Although each ACVP competency is thoroughly explained, none are designed to be used by simply retyping them under the headings “Job Description” or “Performance Appraisal Criteria.” Rather, each competency should provide the necessary “springboard,” from which an organization can develop its own performance-based professional development system as well as all of the tools and processes necessary to support it. Each organization must adapt the competencies to fit their own culture and goals. In the following text, we outline some strategies to help translate the ACVP competencies into tools and processes to improve performance at your cath lab. Improving the Hiring Process Competencies can be used as a baseline against which to evaluate the training and experience of applicants. Employers could potentially hire more fully competent people if, instead of trying to infer confidence and commitment from a projected image in the job interview, they required tangible evidence of success and competencies. Here are a few suggestions: • Applicants can be given a pre-interview assignment, which might include reading the competencies in preparation for interview questions or for writing an essay related to one or more of the competencies. An applicant’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills, ability to communicate with clarity and develop ideas in a logical manner, as well as his/her understanding of the competencies could be evaluated in a pre-interview writing assignment. • Interview questions can be structured to gather information regarding an applicant’s knowledge and experience as it relates to various competencies. Perhaps best of all, the specific performances, behaviors and criteria that accompany each of the competencies provide a baseline for evaluating responses. job is essential if that job is to be done well. It cannot be achieved by simply listing the skills or tasks necessary to complete a job. It requires an understanding of what the tasks are designed to accomplish. Thus, the competencies are not ends in themselves, but can be understood as the means to an end. A customized set of job expectations can be created by breaking down the competencies into their performances and behaviors. Identify and prioritize those most consistent with the needs and culture of your organization. This type of decision-making process can help clarify the policies and procedures, available resources, lines of communication, timelines, etc., that characterize your organization. The process can also serve as a forum for identifying end accomplishments and the criteria by which each professional’s performance and accomplishments will be measured. The agreed-upon information resulting from this process can be presented to each staff member as a “contract” of sorts. In essence, the agreement of each participant indicates his/her understanding of and commitment to the terms of the “contract,” whether it is in the form of a job description, set of policies and procedures, a performance appraisal or a professional growth plan. • • • Performance checklists; Observation by peers and supervisors; The degree to which an organization’s employees meet performance-based objectives as a result of participation in offered courses. Succession Planning In the past, the number of years in an organization or a favorable relationship with a supervisor might have influenced raise and promotion practices. Specific competencies make it possible to base salary increase and promotion on performance. Competencies not only make the supervisor’s job easier by providing guidelines and increasing objectivity, they make it easier on the employee as well. If an employee knows that he or she must reach a specified level of attainment to secure a salary increase or an opportunity for promotion, they can focus their efforts in that direction. Competencies Enhance Professional Credibility One of the first things to define a profession is the language members use to describe what they do. Having a common language enables practitioners to quickly communicate with each other about their roles and functions with a good degree of understanding. It does not, however, mean that they agree regarding roles or functions, and it often excludes those outside the profession who do not know this language. Competencies help in identifying the minimum tasks necessary for training in order to bring about improvement in productivity or performance. They can also help just by clearly spelling out who does what by when. Competencies reduce the variance with which roles and functions are viewed within the profession. Competencies also make the tasks and processes we engage in more precise. The degree of unity projected by our profession is strengthened. Finally, the use of competencies allow the lay person to better understand the roles, functions and processes involved in our profession and the theories that underlie them, helping to enhance our professional credibility. ■ Peggy McElgunn can be contacted at peggymcelgunn@comcast.net Training/Professional Growth Once there is agreement as to the requirements of a particular position, identify the skills or knowledge needed to meet these requirements. A needs assessment can identify any gaps between an employee’s current knowledge and skills level required for their position. Evaluations A good evaluation is objectivebased; that is, it measures the extent to which certain objectives have been met. The specific objectives provided by a competency-based professional development system provide the criteria against which to measure employee accomplishments. Commitment and confidence may be inferred from behavior, but competence must be observed directly. Incompetent employees cannot pretend to know what they’re doing for long. Competency-based accomplishments can also be documented by means of: Clarifying Job Expectations To clarify what is expected on the

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cath Lab Digest - September 2007

St. Dominic Hospital The Genous Bio-engineered R Stent Percutaneous Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Chronic Total Occlusions: Device Options and Clinical Outcomes Contents Clinical Editor’s Corner Percutaneous Revascularization of Peripheral Chronic Total Occlusion — Which Patients, Why, and How? Myocardial Infarction and Syncope: A Manifestation of the “Raynaud-Prinzmetal Syndrome”? Essential Technical Components of the Transradial Approach If You Build It, Will They Come? Evidence-Based Medicine with Drug-Eluting Stents Back to School: The Value of Education in Cardiovascular Services The ACVP Standards and Competencies: Are You Using Them Effectively? What Do You Think? My Experience with Fibromuscular Dysplasia and Stroke A Brief Review of Fibromuscular Dysplasia Letter to the Editor A Look at On-the-Job Training: Perceptions, Reality and Our Profession Doing the Wave: Inventory Management with RFID The Ten-Minute Interview with… Paul Pinsker, RCIS CLD’s Annual Salary Survey Harrisburg Area Community College Volunteer Survey CEU Education Center SICP* Section Ask the Clinical Instructor: A Q&A Column for Those New to the Cath Lab Clinical & Industry News

Cath Lab Digest - September 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.