Professional development planning
Staff participate in the annual performance review process at which time they complete a professional development and career Plan (PDCP) or midwifery performance appraisal and development form. They discuss this with their manager or delegated senior nurse or midwife and jointly agree the plan. The PDCP/Midwifery performance appraisal and development form is then used by the educator to identify themes for development within the service. This informs the gap analysis and the subsequent plan of professional development to address staff needs. The educator discusses the plan with the DON/M and the plan across the directorate is formulated and sent to the Chief Nursing Officer for approval. This process will ensure that areas with synergies are planning together and that staff have access to professional development appropriate to the needs of the population. It will also enable a planned approach to a nursing and midwifery calendar of all education which will inform rosters and minimise service delivery disruptions.
Learning needs analysis
When starting out as a new educator it is common to initially do what the previous educator did. Ideally however in order to ensure that the education you are planning is meeting actual needs and contributing to organisational effectiveness you will need to learn how to do a learning needs analysis.
A learning needs analysis helps nurses and midwives identify where they are in terms of their knowledge, skills and competencies, versus where they wish to be - what are their learning goals?
At CCDHB the process is:
1. Familiarise yourself with the Service Plan for your service so that you know what the deliverables are.
2. Use the education tracker spreadsheet to capture the following for each staff member. This will inform you of their
Organisational and service requirements (clause 27.3 of the MECA and Part Five d) of the MERAS MECA) - paid leave to meet organisational and service requirements, and those HPCA requirements not otherwise addressed in this clause, shall be granted in addition to the above provisions.
Professional development leave (clause 27.3 of the MECA and Part Five b) of the MERAS MECA) - (... shall be granted professional development leave of 32 hours per calendar year (pro rata) ... to enable employees to complete qualifications, to attend courses and to undertake research or projects that are relevant to the employer and which facilitate the employee's growth and development (includes 8 hours p.a. for HCA/NA who are preparing for merit steps)
PDRP/QLP portfolio days (clause 27.7 of the MECA and Part Five h) of the MERAS MECA) - staff working on preparing a portfolio, obtaining or maintaining skill levels associated with the PDRP/QLP are entitled to additional leave in order to undertake research or study associated with meeting the PDRP/QLP requirements...(Proficient/Confident 1 day p.a., expert/accomplished/leadership 2 days p.a. This means you can take leave to obtain or maintain your PDRP/QLP level. The days are for research or study (including writing up your research or study) associated with meeting PDRP/QLP requirements and does not include the preparation of the actual portfolio.
PDRP/QLP days per the CCDHB agreement affiliated with the MECA clause 27.2 and Part Five c) of the MERAS MECA (leave practices in existence prior to 1 July 2004 shall continue in place in DHBs where they apply). These 10 days are for expert/leadership (and unofficially 10 days for seniors), 5 days for proficient/confident.
Clinical release days if you have approved HWNZ funding to attend compulsory days for postgraduate study (per clause 1.1 of the HWNZ Postgraduate Nursing Training Specification (May 2011) when studying postgraduate papers.*) CCDHB receives funding for clinical release and utilises the PDRP days per the CCDHB agreement affiliated with the MECA. Where the expectation of PG study exceeds the PDRP days (10 for expert and 5 for proficient), the nurse is expected to use rostered days off.
Midwives also have access to HWNZ funding however applications are approved by the DOM and made to NZCOM.
*Clinical release is the cost per hour of releasing the trainee while the trainee attends the formal aspects of their training programme, including academic and clinical mentoring requirements during the trainees working hours. Where an employer requires a trainee to take annual leave or leave without pay to attend the formal aspects of this training, the employer will not be eligible for clinical release funding.
3. Have a conversation with the individual staff and discuss their professional development and career plan (PDCP) / midwifery performance appraisal & development form and how it aligns with service and organisational priorities using the Career Pathway for your service to outline possible career progression.
4. As PDCPs / midwifery performance appraisal & development forms are completed analyse the gap between service delivery expectations and staff knowledge and skill. This is your gap analysis.
5. Develop and education plan for the service with your DON/M and Educator colleagues to:
- ensure that staff have completed organisational requirements
- identify the service requirements with the DON/M
- aggregate the common themes to address the gap - seek NAMO support
- identify how you will address the education need
- identify who, how and when the education will occur
6. Seek approval from the NAMO. The NAMO will add your education to an organisation wide education calendar so there is visbility of education (internal, external via Tertiary Education Providers (TEPs) and primary school holidays) Use the Education and Training Policy as a guide.
Booking and tracking staff education
Study leave plans for individuals are entered in to the roster at the beginning of the year by the educator and rosterer. Once the education plan is confirmed, staff apply for study leave using Kiosk.The leave type is 'other' and then select:
- Conference leave
- Educational leave travel time
- Education course leave
- Study leave
Your role is to ensure staff have applied via Kiosk and Connect Me and jointly manage non attendance with the manager.
Reporting
Your monthly report of activity is sent to the DON/M and Manager by the 5th of the following month. Reports that will assist you in your role are reports for:
- PDRP/QLP report (via your manager)
- Performance Review report (via your manager)
- Connect me report
Organising logistics
Once approved, work with Connect Me staff to put the course on the system for staff to book on. They will arrange venues and equipment. You may want to collaborate with other educators to teach and include other services where the topic is relevant. When asking people to speak, depending on the topic, you will supply guidelines e.g. the experience level of the audience, or a guide as to the type of presentation. It may be helpful to limit a broad topic or to ask for practical tips or a case study. The Capability Development Team can assist with developing the resources, setting up the room, computer and technical items. Evaluation of education sessions will inform future delivery.
Orientate new staff via Connect Me
You are responsible for ensuring new and existing staff in your area are current for core competency requirements. You can book staff onto appropriate courses or use this as a teaching moment and get them to book themselves. Organisational orientation requirements are needed for new staff.
Ensure when booking, that the rosterer is aware so staff are rostered for the study time. Once a new staff member's start date is confirmed, liaise with the rosterer and manager to ensure TrendCare and the roster reflect load sharing with the preceptor for the orientation period. If the roster is already published try to minimise the changes in preceptor. New staff generally receive a two week orientation where they have a shared clinical load, although this may vary across the DHB.
Check what certification requirements the new person has and arrange education for the requirements in your area e.g. IV, PCA, CV etc. For people coming from outside the organisation, view their proof of certification and consider what training is required. The CNS-IV may be able to help with this.
Checking in: It's a good idea to catch up with new staff about the six week mark to ensure any issues are worked through.
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