Ideas That Work: Get More Out of Vendor Training

Practical pearls from your colleagues

You can create the best PowerPoint on the planet to educate your staff, but nothing beats a learning-by-doing approach. That’s why vendor education should be as efficient and practical as possible.

At OhioHealth in Columbus, multiple vendor education offerings are held for surgical nurse and surgical technologist training, says Kendra Molek, MS, RN, system surgery nurse residency manager. “Vendor offerings are a great chance for learners to get their hands on products we use in our operating rooms every day,” says Ms. Molek. An added bonus is that learners feel more confident advocating for the products or sharing opportunities related to their appropriate use in real-time during cases. “The knowledge gained makes our application safer, thus making our surgeries and patients safer — which is really what it’s all about,” she says.

Here are five ways to get the most out of vendor education, according to Ms. Molek.

1. Do a pulse check/conduct staff surveys on the need. Vendor offerings are great, but are not helpful if you deliver the wrong education at the wrong time.

2. Coordinate with vendors beforehand. Education should be limited to one topic or product per offering, with clear objectives and goals discussed with the vendor team prior to the education so content is covered appropriately in the time allotted.

3. Share your population’s skill level (novice, advanced-beginner, experts, etc.) with the vendor. This helps the vendor tailor content based on what staff already knows. This information makes a huge difference in deciding whether the course is designed to develop introductory knowledge or simply be a refresher.

4. Make it engaging and hands-on. Seek vendors and offerings that allow staff to put their hands on the material and make mistakes in a controlled environment. Give the team a chance to troubleshoot and understand outside of the OR. It can make a significant difference when they are using equipment or products on a real patient later.

5. Dedicate time to teach/practice the education. Factor time for teaching and application. Come to an agreement with the vendor on how long the content should take to deliver — and allow an extra 20 to 30 minutes for hands-on practice and questions. OSM