Executive Housekeeping Today - February 2008 - (Page 12) OrientatiOn (continued from page 4) are many ways for training staff and there needs to be continual training to keep staff on the right path in their job responsibilities. I use several methods that work in educating staff and also make it interesting. For example, I hold monthly department meetings for all staff members. I perform two each month—one is for the first-shift staff and the other is for the second- and third-shift staff. It is at these department meetings that I have a captive audience, as attendance is mandatory. Healthcare is one of the heaviest, if not the heaviest, regulated industries in the United States at this time. Thus, there are numerous educational opportunities for our staff. The housekeeping staff needs to be educated annually for several regulated areas, which include Bloodborne Pathogens, Hazardous Waste Compliance, Chemical Safety (Hazardous Communication), Regulated Medical Waste Handling, and others. I like to use PowerPoint presentations for my department meetings in order to present a professional touch. Slides are created in order to teach the necessary training smoothly and efficiently. Often, I use a small questionnaire at the end of the presentation to see if the staff has retained the information and we go through it together. In addition, there are numerous videos available to aid in training your housekeeping staff. My chemical vendor has provided me with several videos for training (included in the kits are PowerPoint CDs and training booklets), and I know that other chemical vendors can provide these types of resources it never hurts to ask! Remember, just because we often concentrate on serious training topics does not mean that we cannot stray from those topics. I “Remember, just because we often concentrate on serious training topics does not mean that we cannot stray from those topics. I recently played a video in order to improve employee morale. I have used this video numerous times over the years when I noticed that my staff needs a boost in morale.” recently played a video in order to improve employee morale. I have used this video numerous times over the years when I noticed that my staff needs a boost in morale. The video talks about having fun at work and is quite hilarious; however, it gets the point across to the staff. I notice attitudes are much better after these sessions. Since I’m on the subject of videos, why not create one of your own? Wouldn’t it be great to create a video of our own staff members cleaning patient rooms, cleaning discharge rooms, checking large equipment before use, and properly using vacuums, auto scrubbers, carpet extractors, etc.? The video would show a familiarity for the staff members in training and would create a wider acceptance of the requirements for procedures. Furthermore, infection control is a huge expectation for hospital housekeepers. To this end, I have purchased a product for checking on proper cleaning procedures the staff must do in order to control infection. I use a powder to place on surfaces that only shows up under a black light. I then have a staff member clean the area. After they have completed the cleaning, I show them their work under a black light. This is not a judgmental training project, but works well in showing staff how bacteria can get in to detailed areas we often forget. Hand hygiene is a another huge issue in healthcare right now, and rightly so. Healthcare/Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI), known in the past as nosocomial infections, are essentially caused by improper hand hygiene. The product in the previous paragraph also contains a liquid to put on your hands that shows up only under a black light. I have the staff wash their hands and, believe me, they know what is going on so they scrub their hands hard! They return and we look again at their hands under the black light. Inevitably, something will still show up on their hands. I have accessed our vendors for training sessions as well. They provide invaluable expertise, and often bring prizes to the staff. A recent vendor training session my department held covered Bloodborne Pathogens (I had in the past used our own Infection Control Coordinator, but wanted to do something different). She was an excellent trainer and the staff loved her. For example, she saw one staff member put a cookie on the table in front of himself (I provide cookies and pop for all staff at our department meetings), and she asked him if he knew who or what had touched that table in the last day. This brought out an excellent example of the spread of germs and how we need to watch what we do. The staff member remembers this example to this day. Gen Y’er Training They’re young, smart, and brash. They may wear flip-flops to the office or listen to iPods at their desks. They want to work, but they don’t want work to be their life. These are the new, young staff members who are working for us. (continued on page 23) 2 Executive Housekeeping Today/February 2008
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