Assisi Centre - Driving Great Outcomes From Challenging Situations
In recent years reforms, attitudinal shifts, and generational change have impacted our expectations around healthcare service delivery.
Front-line healthcare staff must now manage both a larger workload and higher stakeholder expectations as well as smaller training budgets. This often results in the escalation of issues and an increase in the workload of management. Learning «on the job» can be risky and classroom training can never emulate the fast-paced emotional workplace environment in which staff operates.
The Assisi Centre (a leading specialist aged care hands-on experiential program for Personal Care Attendants (PCAs). It focused on strengthening the face-to-face communication skills required to diffuse high-emotion situations and ensure that family members and residents were comfortable and confident with the outcomes offered.
Training Difference
How did Assisi’s program differed from standard skills-based training? Experiential learning is an active learning method that relies on the participant to experience the learning themselves, through a sensory, contributory effort rather than rely on the usual ‘listens and learn’ techniques.
This style of learning has a proven retention rate some 60% higher than standard skills-based training. The onus of ‘Fit for Families’ is to build a sense of awareness within the participant and create a learning platform within their own behaviours.
Practical training is punctuated by true-to-life role-play scenarios, offering a safe ‘rehearsal room’ to safely test skills and learn from errors, before dealing with the ‘real world’.
Post Program Evaluation
Since the completion of the program, management at Assisi noted the following themes:
Increased confidence and levels of initiation in staff
Reduction in the escalation of issues to nurse
managers
Positive behavioural change in stakeholders
An overall shift from somewhat confident to
very confident when dealing with people dis
playing high emotions.
Program Objectives
Identify and diffuse high-emotive situations
Create positive steps
to ensure effective communication
Manage expectations of stakeholders
without the need to escalate issues
I have not been so good dealing with the families and residents because of my english. I feel so much better! I know I can manage them and won’t feel like I need to go and ask someone to sort out my problems for me.
Program Feedback, Personal Care Attendant, Assisi