Long term care administrators are mandated to complete an average of 24 hours of continuing education annually. Completing this training can be challenging since administrators are generally burdened with heavy workloads, high turnover of facility staff and budgetary constraints. Currently, many administrators are forced to meet these requirements by attending off-site conferences with such dour session offerings as “Surviving in a Tight Cash Flow Environment,” and “Documentation to Prevent Elder Abuse Litigation.” These sessions can entail high conference costs and precious time away from the facility. Quality of training varies and many administrators wait until just prior to licensure renewal to complete the requirement.
Recognizing that long term care administrators are finding it more and more difficult to get off-site to attend conferences and that culture change-based training can be the key to thriving in these difficult times, Skills4Care.org has been responding by offering a Culture Change 101 course as an introduction for administrators who are new to the philosophy. This course, NAB approved for three CEUs, is the only course of its kind available on the internet today.
In addition to the Culture Change course, Skills4Care.org offers federally mandated training, skill building exercises, e-networking, career resources, and index of F-Tags and long term care related product information. Combining subscription-based services and e-learning reduces certain barriers (e.g. time constraints; time spent away from the job) faced by more than 50,000 administrators trying to fulfill comprehensive and license dependent continuing education requirements.
The mission of Skills4care is to “operate a sustainable on-line community for long term care professionals that provides education, networking opportunities and resources that promote professional development and improved quality of life for workers and residents.” The free offering of the Culture Change course is the first of a variety of initiatives that Skills4Care will be undertaking to promote accessible culture change education for nursing home administrators.
Culture Change has been a growing phrase in the long term care industry since 1992 when a group called the Pioneer Network first started to assemble and share revolutionary concepts in care delivery with like-minded individuals from across the country. Initiatives in resident-centered care, individualized bathing, liberalized dining and a non-hierarchical management style have grown out of this movement with fantastic results.
The downside? Currently the only ways to learn about these initiatives is to A) attend off-site conferences (which can cost over a $2,000 per person once flight, hotel accommodations, meals and conference registration fees are included), B) costly videos and published “How To” training materials ($299.00 and up) or, C) even more costly on-site consulting services. How does the most well-intentioned administrator, struggling to meet payroll and still deliver outstanding quality of care, reconcile these expenses? The answer? He or she doesn’t.
The key to reaching out to these dedicated individuals is finding a way that is inexpensive, accessible, and available to a large group at one time. Skills4care.org was created with just that intention in mind. Developed by a team of long term care professionals at the Institute for Caregiver Education, Skills4Care’s Culture Change course offers individuals new to the concept an intense overview of the philosophies behind culture change, practical applications on how to get started in their own homes, and even better, resources to connect with professionals currently engaged in culture change initiatives in their own homes.
The long term care industry has been slow to embrace the internet. While some forward-thinking homes now have internet-accessible computers available to residents in a common area, most still do not offer a similar service to their employees. And, while administrators may have access to a computer in their office, in some cases it is just a dummy terminal hooked into the company’s server so that MDS and census information can be reported to the corporate office.
This is changing. With the aid of the internet, long term care professionals are getting hooked into their state and national associations. They are becoming members of message groups in their particular areas of interest. They are communicating with family members about care planning times and just to touch base.
Skills4Care’s unique mission, audience and educational offerings were recognized when the organization was a Top 10 Finalist in the Yale School of Management-The Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Non-profit Ventures National Business Plan Competition. In addition, the
The response from administrators who have signed up for subscriptions has been positive. Says one survey respondent, “Skills4Care simplifies my life as it is not always possible for me to leave my organization. It allows me to fit training into my schedule versus having to block out time for travel. It is an easy way to obtain continuing education—I can do it anytime.”
