Hospital saves money: uses patient care interns
When hiring for a patient care intern (PCI) program at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University (IU) Health in Indianapolis, the hospital prefers RN students who already have completed the OR elective. The OR elective closely mirrors the "Periop 101: A Core Curriculum" course offered by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). (For more information, go to http://bit.ly/1dOINz2.)
"This results in substantial cost savings for us," says Amy Boone, MBA, BSN, RN, administrative director of Riley Perioperative Services. "This means minimal investment for us, and the PCI is able to 'hit the ground running' after initial orientation to the department." In last month's issue of Same-Day Surgery, in our annual salary survey report, a source estimated that the savings to facilities for not having to perform a full-blown orientation is $10,000 to $30,000. (For more information, see "Can't find nurses for your program? These surgery programs grow their own," January 2014 SDS supplement.)
The PCIs who have not had the course need to be oriented about the basics, such as sterile technique, the opening of supplies, assistance for anesthesia, room equipment and devices. "It is what we would teach a new patient care assistant coming into the OR," Boone says.
The perioperative services department has four PCIs. They work at least eight hours per week and are paid $9.30 to $15.04 an hour.
IU has a systemwide PCI program. The PCI program has been adapted for Riley Hospital for Children, which is a smaller, more specialized facility. For example at Riley, PCIs provide support to the OR team, but they don't document.
Some OR staff, including many nurses, are less receptive to students than others, Boone warns. She has emphasized the impact of self-motivation to the PCIs. "We find that students who are truly motivated to learn and gain experiential knowledge have a much better learning experience and as a result are more satisfied as employees," Boone says.
The results are dramatic. "Of our 12 new employees, five were PCIs in the program," Boone says. (Boone has shared several documents related to her PCI program, which are available with the online issue of Same-Day Surgery.)
Source
- Amy Boone, MBA, BSN, RN, Administrative Director, Riley Perioperative Services, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, Room RI 2031, Indianapolis, IN. Phone: (317) 944-9971. E-mail: [email protected].
