Training

As a leader in Pediatric Homecare, we ensure that our staff is qualified and knowledgeable regarding state-of-the-art care provision. We determine the skill level of all of our clinicians upon hire and develop a learning plan that is customized to their individual experiences. This process is known as "PediaPrep Training Program" .

PediaPrep Training Program

All of our pediatric nurses must complete a rigorous screening process that exceeds federal and state requirements to ensure that only the most highly qualified clinicians are assigned to provide care based on each child's needs. Once they are hired, our nurses begin their education process through our exclusive PediaPrep Training Program. Outlined below are the three phases to our exclusive training program:

• Phase I - general pediatric training; to include a review of pediatric care needs and provision of care in the home setting, a review of the most commonly seen diagnoses in pediatrics and special considerations relating to the care of the child and family in the home. First, we ask our clinicians to demonstrate their current level of skill by reviewing an experience checklist -- each clinician and clinical manager reviews current skills and abilities. Areas for further training, as well as areas of future specialty, are identified. Each clinician must then perform hands-on skills demonstration after mastering the necessary knowledge. These demonstrations may be performed in a lab setting or at home with an appropriately trained preceptor. Finally, all clinicians need to take a written exam, which is used to identify any areas of additional education required by our clinicians before being matched to care for your child. Because we believe that learning is a life long process, the written exam is our opportunity to begin discussions about the development of each of our professionals. Offering theory as well as clinical experience, the program is designed for recent nursing graduates or experienced nurses who are seeking to enter the pediatric home care field.
• Phase II is highly specialized training focused on specific clinical competencies in caring for the special needs child -- both in theory and via hands-on demonstration relating to the care for a medically fragile child (including specialized training associated with coordinating care, feeding problems, CPR for children, tracheotomy and ostomy care). Nurses must demonstrate hands-on competency in clinical skills prior to being assigned to a patient requiring those skills. Phase II also features a hands-on skills lab and hands-on equipment training necessary to care for acutely, chronically or terminally ill children. Legal and clinical aspects of documenting care provided are covered as are transitioning best practices from Hospital to Home Care.
• Phase III -- is customized "high-tech" training for select clinicians based on their learning needs and case mix. This customized, highly technical training includes skills used in caring for ventilator-dependent children and other technologies including infusion therapy. Our preceptors provide in-depth courses that include review of common procedures in pediatric home care (e.g., tracheotomy care, G-tube feeding, etc.) for ventilator-dependent children.

Ongoing Career Development For Our Clinicians

To continue our commitment, we ensure multiple opportunities for ongoing professional education. Our nurses are offered opportunities for continuing education, and are routinely screened for additional needs. This is supported by free Continuing Education credits online for clinicians who have met certain criteria. Our nurses work with us because we care about our patients, and we offer them the tools, training and materials that they need to provide excellent care.