Nursing and Clinical Services COVID-19 – Challenges and Successes
Clinical Education
Although COVID continues to challenge us, it has enabled us to further embrace and accentuate the day-to-day practice of our values:
Despite the difficult landscape, we are proud of our achievements in the education space.
We Care, We Create, We Deliver. COVID-19 has created an opportunity for us to reflect and confirm that these values define the culture in which we work every day. St Andrew’s has worked closely with SA Health, clinicians, patients and families to provide care in difficult situations such as end of life care, to provide as much support as possible while balancing the need to protect patients, family, St Andrew’s staff and key stakeholders. This requires flexibility and understanding of the driving principles of risk management and containment of an epidemic while maintaining a compassionate approach to real-life situations. It has resulted in a number of tailored solutions, such as planned and supported visitations; the use of technology to enable communication with those in restricted or remote locations; and the provision of clear information enabling patients and families to make informed decisions based on the best information available at the time.
The continued provision of excellence in health care relies heavily on the care of our staff. A key focus during the hardest lock down periods and restrictions to elective surgery was to support staff. This was achieved through the provision of up-to-date information and education, planned leave, support for appropriate staff to work at home and the provision of programs and supports including mental health. New roles, practices and processes were put in place to help manage the rapidly changing environment in which we all found ourselves. St Andrew’s has always believed in the value of relationships, and that relationships matter. COVID has enabled us to demonstrate those relationships in practice and how they help to protect all of us during the pandemic. We would like to extend our thanks to our patients, families, staff and VMOs for working with us to keep everyone as safe as possible during this difficult time.
St Andrew’s has always believed in the value of relationships, and that relationships matter.
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Perioperative The perioperative education plan has been developed over recent years to be a far more structured clinical program based on the skills required in the ever-changing perioperative environment. Perioperative graduate nurses complete their twelve-month contract in either scout or scrub nurse roles or in recovery/ anaesthetics, completing six months in each area. Competencies and workbooks are completed under the supervision and guidance of the perioperative educators, clinical nurses and mentors. This program continues to evolve and includes strong links to both the ACORN standards and the National Safety and Quality Healthcare Standards (NSQHS). Historically, different environments in the perioperative setting have experienced acute shortages of skilled staff, leading to low morale and poor workforce retention. This is not an issue unique to St Andrew’s, and was evident in the areas of anaesthetics and recovery in late 2017 and led to the appointment of two part time clinical educators in Recovery and Anaesthetics. Numerous existing staff, both graduates and lesser experienced, have been supported and educated through their professional journey to become highly valued and skilled in the area. In February 2021, a large group of new staff, including two graduates and others with varying levels of experience, commenced in the scrub/scout roles. This placed pressure on resources within the education team and the wider perioperative department. Subsequently, a business proposal was submitted to support the development of new staff through a structured mentoring and education program. This program continues today in all perioperative areas with the ongoing recruitment of new staff.
