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The Stages Of Training
Just as there are various stages of medicine, the same is true for adult learning. We
are more likely to influence someone's decisions or habits earlier in the process rather
than later. Once the "problem" has taken hold, it's far harder to cure it than
it was to prevent it in the first place.
When it comes to safety procedures or information that someone needs protect themselves,
the earlier the better is the rule of thumb. In fact, most of OSHA's standards do not set
a specific time frame when the training must take place, but they always require the
training BEFORE the worker is exposed to the danger or as soon as the hazard becomes known
to the business.
For these reasons, OSHA places a lot of emphasis on initial employee training. According
to statistics, new employees are at a significantly higher risk of injury on the job than
veteran employees doing the same tasks. The best way to get initial training accomplished
is to have the message ready when the staff member joins the team. Have them sit down and
review the Hospital Safety Manual and any other training materials during their first few
days on the job. By exposing them to this training early they are more likely to develop
the safety habits outlined in the training and less likely to pick up "bad"
habits from an existing staff member. When a new person joins the team they are in a
learning phase and not yet an indispensable person. The longer they are at the practice,
the more responsibility they gain and in most cases, the less receptive they are to
changing their habits.
Another reason to get the training done early is simply practicality. The newly hired
staff member has the time to sit down and go through detailed materials. Even after just a
month on the job, it's unlikely that a staff member can (will?) find the time to go
through the materials as they would have during their first few days.
If the analogy of initial training is like general animal husbandry, then remedial
training has to be like treating a disease. When you notice a staff member is not
following the safety rules, OSHA expects you (the leadership) to enforce those rules with
as much diligence as you would any other policy at he hospital. The worker must be
corrected and if necessary retrained on the correct procedures. This remedial training
does not have to be as extensive as the initial training and can focus entirely on the
parts that the staff member did not understand. Although the goal of remedial training is
to change undesirable habits, it should not be viewed as disciplinary action. However, if
a staff member continues to violate the safety policies of the practice even when they
understand the training, then separate disciplinary action is appropriate.
Continuing with the medical analogies, perhaps the easiest way to prevent problems is with
regular vaccinations; that's exactly the same objective of inservice type training. The
goal of inservice training is to strengthen existing good habits with additional
information or instructions so that the staff member is better protected against an
already known hazard. In-service training should be viewed as the regular, on-going
process of disseminating information within the hospital. This stage of training is used
to bring new information that will supplement existing knowledge or training to the
existing staff member. Inservice training can be conducted in a meeting format but it is
often just as effective in a non-participative methods such as technical bulletins, memos
or written directives.
In the veterinary hospital, not every person needs safety training on every hazard - only
the ones they are likely to encounter as part of their jobs. For instance, there is no
need to make the receptionists sit through a training session on the hazards of radiation
and safety procedures for taking x-rays if they're never involved in the procedure. By
directing training to the specific group at risk, you get better attendance, better
participation and better compliance with the rules. You can also deliver better sessions
without totally disrupting the hospital. For instance, receptionists will cover the front
desk and telephones when techs are in training and the technicians will cover it when the
receptionists are in training for their topics.
In most practices, there are probably several employees in each stage of training at any
given time - that's normal. One of the many jobs of the veterinary practice leader is to
coordinate the various needs of each staff member with the needs of the practice. Only by
understanding the different stages of training, their uses and objectives, can you
institute an effective training program in your practice.
Make Training Replicable
If you're the training coordinator for your practice, do any of these scenarios sound
familiar?
- It's impossible to get everyone together at the same time.
- While we have meetings, someone has to answer the phones and assist clients at the
reception area. or we have to close the hospital.
- As soon as we complete an extensive training or safety meeting, we add another staff
member to the team who needs the same training.
In the traditional veterinary practice, training has always been done in a
meeting environment and with mixed results. The problem with our traditional training
programs is that they are too labor intensive to deliver. Once the session is completed,
the information is no longer available for later use except maybe "note-takers"
and then it's been translated and filtered. Fortunately, there are solutions to this
dilemma if you plan the training delivery method as well as you prepare the materials.
By far, the best method of replicating training is to videotape each session! The practice
should invest in a video camera with a stand or rent one for individual meetings. Set the
camera up so that the "focus" of the meeting is captured on the tape. If the
training is for a specific procedure which requires a demonstration, then have someone
"zoom in" on the technique when the time comes. If the meeting is simply going
to be more verbal than hands-on, then a wide shot of the entire room is more appropriate.
Check the sound levels and picture quality by taping a few minutes worth of
"test" talking from the center of the room during the setup. Often a small
external microphone plugged into the recorder instead of the built-in one will greatly
improve the sound quality.
Label the tape with the topic of the meeting and the date. Now if you have a new staff
member join the team in the immediate future, they can watch the tape and get the same
"update" that the rest of the staff received. Additionally, any present staff
members who could not attend the session can also watch the tape when they get back to
work and it's just like they were there. There is a side benefit to this process -
attendance at meetings usually increases because most people would rather attend the
"real-time" sessions than have to view a recorded one.
Some information does not require formal training sessions or courses. Issuing directives,
reiterating procedures or simply reminding staff members of a message are all types of
training that can be accomplished with memos, notes and signs. In order for this training
method to work, you can't over do it with the memos and signs. As a general rule, there
should be no more than two "directives" circulating or posted at a time. If
there are multiple actions happening at the same time, the staff is likely to become
confused and just ignore all of them. Remove old messages from the bulletin board after
all staff members have seen and initialed them. This reduces clutter and gives the
impression that the message is important.
Start a practice training manual. Get a three ring binder and label it appropriately. When
you take down the notice or when the memo has been initialed by everyone, put it in the
binder along with every handout, quiz or written information that was used in a real-time
meeting. This way, there's always a record of what information was put out without a lot
of extra work. By reviewing the training manual when they are first hired, new employees
can get an "institutional memory" without actually having been there!. It also
helps when you have one staff member who just didn't get it - they can review the handouts
and videotape from the session without much additional time from the supervisor.
Be sure to establish a form of feedback for every session. That way the leadership can be
assured that the message was received as it was intended. Make sure the instructor always
has a few short questions prepared as a "quiz" after the session. Sometimes the
instructor may want individuals to demonstrate a particular technique - like putting on
personal protective equipment. Always have some method of ensuring the participants
understood the training.
Finally, make sure you keep a written record of attendance for every training session
conducted.
 Check out our
sample training schedules!
Back to OSHA Questions
The information on these pages is excerpted from
The Veterinary Safety & Health Digest,
Copyright 2003 Philip J. Seibert, Jr., CVT All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced for distribution without prior permission
from the publisher. |
