Competence-aware workforce: a possible catalyst for high-quality outcomes and a safer work environment

I recently responded to a Rapid Response Team (RRT) call regarding a patient with acute respiratory failure. Despite the intervention, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit, intubated and connected to a ventilator. The nurses on the ground did an awesome job recognizing that the patient was in trouble and called for help. The team operated like a well-oiled machine, without drama or chaos; everyone present knew exactly what to do. This is what competence looks like – a team that knows the way to assess a situation, use their critical pondering and judgment skills, intervene, calm the patient, get the job done and, on this case, ensure a very good consequence for the patient.

Competencies are defined by the American Nurses Association as an expected level of performance that integrates knowledge, skills, abilities, and judgment (ANA, 2014). Competencies are a key component of the brand new American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials and are how undergraduate and graduate nursing students are educated – with the goal of manufacturing competent, practice-ready nurses upon completion of an orientation or nursing residency program. Beginning nurses aren’t the one ones who need additional education and training to be competent. Nurses who’re experts in some areas of practice could also be novices and incompetent in others. Competencies have to be routinely measured and documented, and this information have to be available to inspectors and nurse management.

The pandemic has exposed staffing shortages based on hours per patient day, beds alone, or average census without consideration of patient health and workforce competencies. A nurse isn’t a nurse. You cannot hire a medically/surgically competent nurse and expect her to take care of seriously ailing patients in an intensive care unit. Staff must keep in mind the insight of patients and the competence of nurses caring for patients. The reason why RRT went well within the case presented above is because there have been adequate staff competent to take care of the patient.

Competency-based staffing that takes into consideration the acuity/severity of a patient’s illness isn’t a brand new concept; Nurses have been advocating for this for years. In a recent survey of nurse leaders conducted by UKG and Wolters Kluwer (2022), as many as 81% of respondents indicated that having the competence to tell their nurses about staffing/nurse work plans in the subsequent 18 months will probably be essential/very essential, and as many as 79% believes that they may need to implement a competency-based shift system.

What does competency-based staffing mean for nurses?

For staff on the front line, this implies having the suitable variety of patient-facing staff competent to take care of the sort of patient on the unit. We speak about the concept our colleagues support us as we work; this implies others step in and protect your patient whilst you cope with the emergency. You can feel it immediately whenever you enter your device; work culture and who you’re employed with on that shift set the tone for what your shift will probably be like, irrespective of how busy you’re. Working alongside someone you already know has the knowledge, critical pondering and skills to step up and navigate any situation using clinical judgment makes an enormous difference.

What does competency-based staffing mean for healthcare organizations?

For nurse managers liable for providing high-quality patient care, competency-based staffing will help ensure high-quality outcomes and greater staff satisfaction as this modification promotes a secure work environment. Inevitably, changing the way in which we employ people would require investment. Healthcare organizations must collaborate with industry partners in workforce management to construct a business case that illustrates the return on investment.

In summary, healthcare organizations, nurses and other healthcare professionals want to supply high-quality care to patients. Innovative staff based on patient insight and caregiver competence can turn into a catalyst for optimal quality of care and a safer work environment.

American Nurses Association (ANA). (2014, November 12). Professional Competencies: ANA Position Statement. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/official-position-statements/id/professional-role-competence/

UKG and Wolters Kluwer. (2022). Nursing Workforce Survey;