It's a training course on "blocks and horses" - health care slang for pain management equipment and drugs - and the 10 new nursing graduates at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta are getting an intensive lesson in the pain management for children.
Clinical staff development coordinators Halli Jones, RN, BSN, and Keely Brzozowlcz, RN, each pull five students into a huddle in the hospital's off-campus learning lab. The new graduates - some clad in Peanuts and Dr. Seuss scrubs - listen intently as the instructors drill their charges in proper machine operation while allowing the students to use the epidural catheter and the pain-management pumps.
"When in doubt, go home," said Jones, pointing to a small house icon on the monitor as the nurses take turns learning to operate the machine, which inserts the shot containing pain drugs. On the other side of the room, Brzozowlkcz lets her class operate the painmanagement pump as she answers questions.
After they have graduated, some students may think they've had enough schooling, but classes like these and other continuing education courses are part of the culture at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Last year, the health system was named one of the top 100 learning organizations by Training magazine.
While Children's does not require its nurses to acquire contact hours, there is a core set of learning required for all leaders and employees, said Colleen Thornburgh, chief learning officer at Children's.