The Official Travel Nursing Blog - Competent Travel Nurses Paramount to Patient Safety

Nov

Competent Travel Nurses Paramount to Patient Safety

Tags:healthcare providers, nurse competence, nurse competence testing, nurse job, patient safety, registered nurse staffing, travel nurses, traveling nurses

To limit liabilities associated with under-qualified nurses, American Traveler takes diligent steps to ensure all RN traveling nurses placed by the agency meet or exceed the level of competence expected by clients.Â Clinical testing and evaluations, reference verifications and performance tracking are just a few ways the nurse staffing company achieves client satisfaction contract after nurse contract.

“Our Joint Commission Surveyor confirmed that our registered nurse staffing processes ensure competence,” said Clinical Account Manager Deborah Bacurin, RN. “Moreover, our nurses continue to earn kudos among client facilities for promptness, professionalism and job knowledge.”

Medication errors by nurses – or incidents where bedside care suffered because an RN didnâ€™t follow hospital protocol – rock the healthcare staffing world. They remind hospital administrators and nurse staffing agencies alike of the important role nurse competency testing plays in patient safety. Itâ€™s in this light that American Traveler goes to great lengths to provide competent nurses with proven track records of quality patient care.

â€œIâ€™m proud to say our larger healthcare providers have been with us for years because we continue to provide them with highly competent nurses who watch out for the best interest of their patients. In our house, we tell nurse job candidates that patient safety is number one and nothing trumps it.â€

Exclusive of malpractice and litigation costs lapses in clinical judgment by nurses can cost hospitals up to $5 million or more per event. In some cases, this doesnâ€™t include the cost of injuries to patients. Also at risk could be millions in Medicare funding.

Call American Traveler at 1-800-884-8788 to learn more about our travel nurses and how we work in conjunction with healthcare providers to retain high levels of patient safety and satisfaction.

2 Responses to “Competent Travel Nurses Paramount to Patient Safety”

Peter Grey, RN Says:
January 16th, 2013 at 10:07 pm
PBDS testing is a sham and an insult to the nursing profession that has not been proven to increase public safety nor reduce hospital liabilities. This is a niche market created by an elitist group of nurses to profit off the backs of fellow nurses. It is an unethical, non-standardized, subjective test placing nurses in a vulnerable position far away from their homes (the hospitals don’t even have the decency to test nurses before they leave home) risking homelessness and unemployment in a difficult economy. No study materials are provided and no retest or remediation is available, just canceling of your contract as a travel nurse. This abomination is in no way to be accepted by the nursing community as a valid litmus test of nursing competence. In fact, when the results were discovered by Harris County Hospital District’s PBDS manager Ramona Richard here in Houston, she was nonplussed at the fail rate! I urge all nurses, agencies and healthcare professionals to rally against the use of this inaccurate testing module. Testing is necessary, however, tests need to be fair, accountable and transparent, just as we experienced in accredited nursing schools and at the state boards across this great country. Boycott PBDS-testing hospitals! Unfair to nurses, unfair to labor.
Deborah Bacurin Says:
February 19th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
PBDS testing is a very respected form of testing and is a great tool to use for evaluating and getting a basis of where a nurse is as far as skills and knowledge of what the unit or facility is looking for. It is a great assessment of critical thinking in various scenarios and assist the facility in determining if and when a nurse can recognize a threat to patient safety or stability and the knowledge to respond appropriately.

It is also a great tool to use in determining interpersonal skills. This is essential now that patient satisfaction scores are increasing in importance for customer service and reimbursement as well as meeting with The Joint Commission Standards.

Although this testing is more appropriately used with perm staff to evaluate where the nurse needs more study guides or assistance in being successful at the facility and on the unit, as well as improving nursing skills, it is useful for any situation. Many facilities are still working with agencies to see if testing can be set up locally for where the nurse is currently at or accepting scores if the nurse has done the testing within the last year.

2 Responses to “Competent Travel Nurses Paramount to Patient Safety”

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