Need access training? Start your own school
Need access training? Start your own school
By Patricia Ray, RN, BS
Central Florida Regional Hospital
Sanford, FL
Staffing woes? Can't find candidates with experience? Notice the lack of access services training programs out there? There are none! What to do? Well, you could be innovative and do what Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford, FL, did and start your own program.
In late 1996, I was exposed to the unemployment process when the hospital where I was working restructured the business office and eliminated my position. As part of that evaluation period, I explored the possibility of starting a training school for registration skills. This appeared to be an area that had been ignored.
I did some preliminary investigation and discovered how much was involved in starting a business. Meanwhile, I received an offer to return to a hospital where I had worked previously, and by January 1997, I was employed at my current position with Central Florida Regional Hospital as assistant business office director for access services.
Turnover in the department was high and training curves difficult. I received applications daily from people who wanted to work, but there was a shortage of applicants with exposure to - or experience in - medical registration settings in Florida, which is a high managed care state. I was convinced that an access services training program would be well received in the local area.
Along with the hospital's education department director, I approached a local community college that provided health care education courses. Unfortunately, the college was unwilling to take the chance without a guaranteed clientele base from the hospital. Even without hard figures I still believed we were missing an unaddressed need.
Part of my motivation was to use this course to help unemployed people who were looking for an opportunity. In June, I had the chance to speak with a local VISTA "Welfare To Work" coordinator who was looking for mentors to work with their clients. VISTA, or Volunteers in Service to America, is a federally funded domestic volunteer program established during the John F. Kennedy Administration. I presented the program and discussed the possibility of providing it at the VISTA center and local homeless shelters. The coordinator presented the proposal to the VISTA Coalition. Their response was enthusiastic. They had six Welfare-To-Work students set to attend immediately.
Central Florida Regional's education director and I met again and explored the hospital's possible involvement. The education department supported offering the class as a community program. I was delighted. This meant I would have the organization's support and resources available, which would make quality presentations much easier. This combination would definitely meet two goals by serving our community and providing a trained applicant pool.
Lesson plans were prepared with assistance from a friend who develops computer training programs. The proposal was then presented to hospital administration, who agreed to a community program mix of paying customers and recipients of assistance programs, who will receive free tuition.
Central Florida Regional sponsors the program for hospital employees who wish to attend. We've had participants from dietary, housekeeping, laboratory, and nursing. This has provided valuable education for ancillary departments on the role registration plays in the larger hospital picture. Access services employees have taken particular sessions to brush up on their insurance and anatomy knowledge. We've also had registrars from other hospitals take the class.
The program is announced in the local newspaper by the hospital's marketing department. A nominal fee of $50 is charged to cover expenses. Students who are recipients of assistance programs such as Safe House (a spouse abuse program), WAGES (a welfare program) and Habitat For Humanity receive a form to take to their caseworker, who signs off verifying their eligibility for free tuition. The student signs an agreement to attend the entire course as a condition of the tuition waiver.
Class size is limited to 40 participants. Materials are prepared and enrollment is coordinated by the education department. All students must have a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma and be able to type 35 words per minute.
The VISTA coordinator was able to get typewriters donated and provides prospective students time to brush up on their typing skills. Seven class sessions, plus a final exam, are spread over four weeks with heavy outside homework.
Topics include:
· vision, perceptions, and goals;
· basic anatomy and physiology;
· common procedures and diagnosis;
· registration and billing;
· insurance;
· professional skills;
· practicum.
While I provide the coordination and primary instruction, all classes are taught by volunteers from the hospital and community. The business office director presents the portion on insurance. Basic anatomy/physiology and common procedures/diagnosis are taught by the hospital's director of quality and case management. My experienced registrars have donated their time to help students through a mock registration in the practicum.
The hospital promotes strong support for community service. I tell my colleagues, "Come and give me four hours. Share your skills and knowledge with someone else. Let this be your community service. Help people help themselves."
There's heavy emphasis on communication and customer service skills, and students are required to learn definitions for 400 different medical terms. Homework assignments include writing a vision statement on where they see themselves in five years, and recording an interaction with someone and how their knowledge of personality types affected that interaction. One of the sessions includes tips on how to get a job. For example, students come dressed for an interview with their resumes.
This program gives students an opportunity to see how much knowledge is really needed to work competently in today's health care financial environment. By requiring basic skills, such as typing, with exposure to the role registration plays, the course gives participants at least a basic idea of what they will face if they choose to pursue a career in access services. For many, it opens a whole new world of opportunities.
Has it worked? The first class graduated 12 students. The second class paid for the costs of running the program and graduated 22 students. The next scheduled class is full, and we have a waiting list for 1999.
And staffing? Well, there's nothing open at Central Florida Regional Hospital these days.
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