Standardizing Education and Competencies Across A Network

Background: Five geographically distant Hem-BMT programs came together to form the Sarah Cannon Blood Cancer Network (SCBCN) in 2011. The programs are FACT accredited with a Network volume of about 750 transplants per year. Each program had diverse methods of demonstrating and documenting competency and providing staff education.

Objectives:

1. Advance quality by standardizing core competency and education content through harnessing the expertise in each program.
2. Leverage the network approach to create a significant education resource gain for each program.

Interventions: A multidisciplinary, multi-institutional work group was created with the goal of standardizing professional education across the SCBCN to include initial and annual competencies and clinical education. This workgroup was divided into discipline-based sub-groups (Nursing, Pharmacy, Mid-Level Practitioners and Physicians) that were charged with creating discipline-specific competencies based on FACT and professional organization standards. The intent was to create core competencies that could be expanded but not reduced.

Results:

1. Comprehensive core initial competency grids with Learning Options tool completed for Nursing, Mid-Level Practitioners, and Pharmacists across the SCBCN.
2. Standardized annual competencies for 2013 created for Nursing, Mid-Level Practitioners, Pharmacists and Physicians. Competencies and credentialing requirements were developed using FACT requirements and SCBCN Programs needs assessment data.
3. Six comprehensive education modules in development across the network using SCBCN nursing and pharmacy experts to be implemented for 2013 staff education via Healthstream (an electronic education program which includes documentation of compliance). Idea generation for modules came from the network clinical experts who created the draft content with network feedback.