During a recent Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) class in which 57 healthcare professionals were learning or refreshing their skills on how to run the first 10 minutes of a Code Blue, two actual Code Blues were called in the hospital.
"It reinforces the idea that we really have to stay on top of our skills and training," says Carolyn Ellis, RN, Education Training Manager at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center.
A Code Blue is a medical emergency in which a patient is unconscious, not breathing and in cardiac arrest. "The goal is to save lives and maintain good brain activity," says Ellis.
She points out that treatment standards in all aspects of medical care are continuously updated, so even though doctors or nurses may routinely handle Code Blues, retraining helps ensure that their skills are current. "And we want that knowledge to be deep in their brains, not just something they recall to pass a test," she says.
The hospital created the Education Resource Center for Northwest Oklahoma so that medical professionals from St. Mary's and surrounding facilities would have access to a wide variety of classes and seminars. Some of these include Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), the Neonatal Resuscitation Program and Basic Life Support.
The education center recently hosted its first cardiopulmonary conference. "It was designed to appeal to the whole healthcare team," says Ellis. "There was something of interest for everyone."
Having an education center at the hospital also makes it convenient for employees in certain specialty areas to get the continuing education they need to keep their licenses current. The center offers courses for professionals in dietary, ICU, medical surgery, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, radiology, and physical and occupational therapy.
"Having our own instructors right here gives added depth to the training because the medical staff has ongoing access to them and skills are reinforced and applied in a real-life setting," says Ellis.
But occasionally center instructors will deliver a program off-site. For example, a number of nurses at a nearby hospital recently needed to take the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, which is offered at St. Mary's four times a year. Our OB educators actually traveled and delivered the program to them at their hospital as they do in other areas of Oklahoma and Kansas.
"It's another huge program -- very advanced -- with two or three textbooks," says Ellis. "Most OB departments mandate that their nurses have it."
The education center also offers computer-based training. "Our people can simply go into the computer room and take classes as needed," says Ellis. "Some are mandatory and some are optional."
Topics covered through computer-based courses include body mechanics, health facility hazards, patient rights and preventing the spread of infection. The staff also has access to Microsoft Office software training and can learn the new features of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Says Ellis: "We will always be updating and upgrading our education program so that our medical professionals know the latest and greatest techniques and can deliver the very best in patient care."
2004 Education Schedule
| Date | Title | Time |
|
| June |
| 8 | Advanced Care for Diabetes | 8 AM to 5 PM |
| 9 | Basic Dysrhythmia Course | 8 AM to 4 PM |
| 10 | Basic Dysrhythmia Course | 8 AM to 4 PM |
| 15 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 15 | Healthcare Provider | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 25 | BLS Renewal (Renewal Only) | 8 to 10 AM |
| 29 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
|
| July |
| 6 | Advanced Options for Wound Care | 8 AM to 5 PM |
| 13 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 20 | Healthcare Provider | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 20 | BLS Renewal (Renewal Only) | 5 to 7 PM |
| 22 | Preceptor Course | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 27 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 30 | Healthcare Provider | 8 AM to 12 PM |
|
| August |
| 3 | IV Therapy Course | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 10 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 17 | Healthcare Provider | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 20 | BLS Renewal (Renewal Only) | 8 to 10 AM |
| 24 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 26 | ACLS Prep Class (Rhythm Interpretation) | 7 to 9 PM |
| 30 | ACLS Prep Class (Pharmacology) | 7 to 9 PM |
|
| September |
| 7 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 9 | ACLS Prep Class (Mega Code) | 7 to 9 PM |
| 21 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 21 | Healthcare Provider | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 21 | BLS Renewal (Renewal Only) | 5 to 7 PM |
| 24 | ACLS | 3 to 9 PM |
| 25 | ACLS | 9 AM to 4 PM |
|
| October |
| 5 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 12 | Cranial & Spinal Trauma Management | 8 AM to 5 PM |
| 19 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 19 | Healthcare Provider | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 22 | BLS Renewal (Renewal Only) | 8 to 10 AM |
| 29 | PALS | 8 AM to 4 PM |
| 30 | PALS | 8 AM to 4 PM |
|
| November |
| 2 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 4 | Preceptor Course | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 16 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 16 | Healthcare Provider | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 16 | BLS Renewal (Renewal Only) | 5 to 7 PM |
| 30 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
|
| December |
| 14 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 17 | BLS Renewal (Renewal Only) | 8 to 10 AM |
| 21 | Healthcare Provider | 8 AM to 12 PM |
| 28 | Service Excellence | 8 AM to 12 PM |
