Induction
STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
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Ensuring that a new employee has a structured introduction to their role, their colleagues
and the systems that guide their work is very important. Among other things, a well-planned
induction programme reduces the anxiety that new employees feel when beginning the job.
Induction supports consistency in practice and standards of care by imparting vital information
to the new person about ‘the way we do things here’. Induction also provides a vehicle for social
integration of the new person into the existing team, therefore promoting effective team working,
good communication and cooperation.
Induction is a joint responsibility between the staff development department and the team
leader or manager. In most organisations, the new staff member completes the organisational
induction programme within the first few days of joining the organisation, whereupon the team
leader/ manager (or someone appointed to do this] provides induction to the department. The
staff development department and department staff should each have a clear understanding
of their respective, specific responsibilities so that nothing is left to chance. The development
staff should provide information involving matters that are organisation-wide in nature and
relevant to all new employees, such as terms of employment, the structure and governance
arrangements, general policies and procedures, safety, infection control and common equipment.
The manager/team leader should concentrate on those items unique to the employee’s
specific job.
The manager/team leader needs to outline very specifically what is expected of new
employees and assure them that they will be supported in their development and will take on
progressively more challenging responsibilities as their confidence and experience increase.
Reassuring new staff that others are there to assist and support them is also important.
Information and reassurance often have to be given a number of times during induction: with
the anxiety people feel when they first come on the job, they simply do not take in all of the
information they are given.
Because developing a relationship between the new employee and the ward manager/team
leader is a very important part of the induction process, the team leader may find it necessary
to set aside time to meet with the new employee on several occasions. The discussions should
address everything from standards of performance and attendance, to patient care and service
standards.
Many departments now use a preceptor model for induction of newly qualified staff.
Preceptor programmes often benefit the preceptor as well as the newly qualified staff member.
Preceptors gain an understanding of new practices that the new nurse may have learned, and
an opportunity to use their expertise and experience to teach and support a colleague. Staff
members who serve as preceptors should be selected based on their clinical competence,
organisational skills, ability to work with others, good communication skills and interest in the
success of others. The primary goal is for preceptors to assist newly qualified staff to acquire the
necessary knowledge and skills so that they can function effectively on the job. The preceptor
teaches and supervises the new person to gain competence in any unfamiliar procedures and
helps the new person to develop any necessary skills. The preceptor acts as a resource person
on routine matters as well as policies and procedures. The preceptor also serves as a role model
for effective working practices and relationships such as how to set priorities, solve problems
and make decisions, manage time, delegate tasks and interact with others.
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Professional development
Professional development programmes come in many varieties, including workshops, university
courses, conferences and online development. For effective adult education, the learner
needs, at a minimum:
- information to be presented;
- practice using the new knowledge and/or skill;
- feedback about performance.
There must be opportunity to practise the desired behaviours and feedback about it. For
instance, if an individual is shown how to perform resuscitation, practices it, and is given
feedback on his or her success, the person could be expected to be able to perform well in a
resuscitation situation. Reading about or listening to a lecture about how to do cardiopulmonary
resuscitation provides no assurance that the learner actually could resuscitate an
individual in an emergency.
Learning styles
There is a growing body of research to suggest that each individual has a preferred learning
style. One of the most popular and well-known learning style systems is Fleming’s VARK
system. He suggests that there are four basic styles, though a learner could also be multimodal
(using more than one style on a regular basis): - Visual learners are those who learn best by watching demonstrations, being shown and
having diagrams, maps or models to work from. - Aural [auditory] learners are those who learn through listening, having things described and
discussed, and having the chance to ask questions. - Read/ write learners are those who learn best through reading, using lists, notes and books,
referring back and rehearsing presentations. - Kinaesthetic learners are those who learn best by doing, using real-life examples, visiting
exhibits and trying things out.
You can test your personal learning style by visiting the VARK website at www.vark-learn.com.
The most widely used and frequently underestimated development method is work-based
learning. This often involves a structured experience for the learner, with an experienced professional,
preceptor, mentor or ward manager acting as a learning facilitator. Work-based
learning has several positive features, one of which is its efficiency. Learners learn at the
same time they are providing necessary care. Moreover, this method reduces the need for
outside instructional facilities and reliance on professional educators. Transfer of learning is
not an issue because the learning occurs on the job. Work-based learning, though effective
and efficient, may not be seen as having equal value to more formal classroom instruction. To
implement effective work-based learning, the following are suggested: - People who function as learning facilitators, preceptors or clinical mentors must be selected
for their commitment to the success of others, not simply for their expertise. - Working as a learning facilitator should be linked to rewards including training and recognition
of the importance of the role, and can also be used a part of a portfolio of evidence to
support progression.
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STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES - Learning facilitators and learners should be carefully matched to minimise the potential for
conflict and to enable the establishment of effective and supportive relationships. - Learning facilitators should be selected based on their ability to teach, not just do.
- Learning facilitators should be offered development in the role.
- Learning facilitators should rotate amongst learners to expose each learner to the specific
know-how of various colleagues. - The manager/team leader must realise that the efficiency of the department may be
reduced when work-based learning occurs. - The learning facilitator and the manager must supervise the learner closely to prevent them
from making any major mistakes and carrying out procedures incorrectly.
Other learning methods
As technology continues to advance rapidly and the number of people requiring instruction
increases, teaching is becoming more efficient and the learning process accelerating. Many
organisations are using self-learning modules, such as online computer classes, computerised
clinical simulations, interactive video instruction, audiotapes and CD packages. These
methods allow an instructor to convey information in a uniform manner on several occasions
or at several locations at one time; many lessons can be repeated. These methods can
enhance the instructor’s presentation as well as reduce the need for an instructor to present
every detail in person.
Evaluation
Few issues in staff development create as much controversy or discussion as evaluation.
Evaluation of staff development is an investigative process to determine whether the education
was cost-effective, the objective was achieved and learning was applied to the job.
Educators and managers usually agree on the need for sound appraisal of educational programmes,
but they seldom agree on the best method to do evaluation and rarely do empirical
evaluation. Typically, a programme is initially reviewed at the organisational level before
its implementation. The same programme is used over and over until someone in authority
decides the programme is no longer useful or no longer effective or, more commonly, until
attendance decreases.
The purpose of evaluation is to determine whether the educational programme has a
positive effect on job performance and to identify elements of the programme that need
improvement. Designing sound evaluation tools is difficult and costly, though necessary. Four
evaluation criteria should be used: - learner reaction;
- learning acquired;
- behaviour change;
- organisational impact.
Learner reaction is usually captured on a questionnaire completed at the end of a programme.
The questionnaire may ask about the usefulness of the programme’s content, the
effectiveness of the learning facilitator and the methods used. There can be a tendency to ask
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more questions, but long, detailed reaction forms are seldom completed fully, and the irrelevant
questions can distract the participant from what is important. Collecting and analysing
learner reactions are important because: - positive reactions ensure organisational support for a programme;
- reactions can be used to assess the programme;
- reactions indicate whether the learners liked the programme.
Assessing the actual learning is the next level of evaluation. Knowledge is typically measured
by paper-and-pencil tests [or computer-based tests] that can include true/ false,
multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching and essay questions. Learning skills for the job is
usually assessed by return demonstration – can the learner demonstrate proper use of new
equipment or accurately follow the steps in a procedure?
However, the acquisition of skills and knowledge is not enough . Was that knowledge
converted into different behaviours? One of the biggest problems in staff development is
that instruction does not necessarily transfer from the classroom to the job – often because
learners are taught the theory and the technique but never learn how to translate these into
behaviour. There is a big difference between learning and doing; if behaviour is not measured
after the programme [or on the job]. it cannot be determined whether the instructional
programme has affected behaviour or helped the employee transfer the new behaviour to
the job. Transfer from the classroom to the job is critical to the success of the educational
programme.
The objective of many staff development programmes can be expressed in terms of organisational
impact, such as improved quality of care, a better health and safety record, a reduction
in clinical incidents, and better patient and staff satisfaction at work. It is often difficult, however,
to attribute improvements to staff development alone. In fact, staff development is only
one of a number of strategies that are put into place to address deficits in care or service in an
organisation. For example, a decrease in infection rates is usually due to a change of work practices
[hand washing, gel dispensers, deep cleaning, bare below the elbow] supported by staff
development and good management practice. Despite the complexity of evaluating impact of
staff development programmes, it is still worth the effort.
~—- ————- – ~”””‘ ~ “””‘ –
What you know now
- Performance is determined by motivation and ability.
- Motivational theories are classified as content theories or process theories. Content theories
emphasise individual needs or the rewards that may satisfy those needs. Process
theories emphasise how the motivation process itself directs individual performance. - Staff development is intended to enhance specific job skills and knowledge, through methods
such as induction, training, workshops and on-the-job instruction. - The manager’s role in staff development includes assessment of the development needs,
planning, implementation based on sound learning principles, and evaluation. - The most important role of staff development is transferring knowledge in order to change
work behaviour. - Staff development programmes should enhance the organisation’s effectiveness.
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ADDITIONAL WEB-BASED RESOURCES
( Questions to challenge you
- What motivational theory appeals to your sense of how you learn? Why?
- You are a newly appointed ward manager or team leader:
[a] How would you discover what motivates the individuals on your staff?
[b] What would you do first to identify your staff’s learning needs?
[ c] What are the next steps you would take to meet those needs? - What recommendations would you make to a new ward manager/team leader regarding
motivating staff? What strategies have you seen work? Explain.
References
Adams, J. S. [1963] Toward an understanding of inequity. Journal of Abnormal and Social
Psychology, 67, 422-436.
Adams, J. S. [ 1965] Injustice in social exchange. In L. Berkowitz [ed.]. Advances in
Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 2. New York: Academic Press.
Alderfer, C. P. [ 19?2] Existence, Relatedness, and Growth. New York: Free Press.
Bandura, A. [ 19??] Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Ferster, C. B. and Skinner, B. F. [195?] Schedules of Reinforcement. New York:
Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Hersey, P., Blanchard, K. and Johnson, D. E. [2001] Management of Organizational Behaviour:
Utilizing human resources [8th edn] . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Herzberg, F. [ 1966] Work and the Nature of Man. Cleveland, OH: World.
Herzberg, F., Mausner, B. and Snyderman, B. [ 1959] The Motivation to Work. New York: Wiley.
Knowles, M. S. [ 19 50] Informal Adult Education. New York: Association Press.
Locke, E. A. [1968] Toward a theory of task motivation and incentives. Organizational
Behaviour and Human Performance, 3, 15?-189.
Maslow, A. H. [ 1943] A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 3?0-396.
Maslow, A. H. [ 1954] Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper.
Skinner, B. F. [ 1953] Science and Human Behaviour. New York: Free Press.
Vroom, V. H. [ 199 5] Work and Motivation, revised edn. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Classics.
Additional web-based resources
If you want to know more about:
Learning theories, go to: www.learning-theories.com
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