Striving for Excellence: A Pediatric Department's Journey to Certification

Purpose:
Because small community pediatric departments have limited resources for educational programs, staff must travel to larger organizations for seminars. Scheduling and budgetary constraints make it difficult for more than two staff members to attend an educational offering at one time.

Significance:
The entire pediatric department staff were able to obtain National Certification within six months of initiating an innovative mentoring program that was cost-effective and timely.

Strategy and Implementation:
Certified pediatric staff nurses developed certification preparation classes and mentored their peers studying for the certification examination. A formal pledge signing with a commitment form everyone was held and flash dirves were given to everyone to increase accessiblity to information. A four-month calendar was established for study sessions. Mentors provided participants with powerpoints, tips, and study questions via email two weeks prior to their assigned study session. Staff reviewed the materials and came prepared to the bi-monthly, two-hour study sessions held in the department's breakroom. A date was set for staff to sit for the certification together at the hospital at the end of the study sessions.

Evaluation:
Within six months, the entire pediatric RN staff acieved 100% certification. Teamwork, shared governance, and morale were fostered when the staff collectively identified a problem, devised a creative solution, and saw tangible results!

Implications for Practice:
Engaging existing staff expertise to foster learning for others is essential to not only facilitate continuing education in community hospitals with limited financial resources, but also to promote teamwork and shared governance.