Lessons Learned in Implementing an Electrophysiology Training Program

This is our final blog in the EP training series.  We hope this has been helpful as you consider ways to enhance employee engagement, reduce turnover and improve overall lab performance.  Learn more about Duke’s experience with EP training at our upcoming webinar on 3/27 at 11 am EST.  

In implementing any program, there are always unexpected twists and turns along the way, especially in a large healthcare organization.  As Duke University Heart Hospital moved through the process of putting a new electrophysiology training program in place they discovered several key findings or lessons learned that may help other organizations who are considering a similar training program.  Learn more about how training can improve your lab here.

• Developing a training program will take longer than initially thought. Duke initially planned on taking six months to develop the training program. (Now available as EP Academy).  They quickly found out that six months wasn’t long enough.  As they moved forward in developing the program they found that it could be linked or paired with other hospital programs such as their fellow training and credentialing board.  In addition, they decided to capitalize on the staff interest and offer dedicated, offsite training on Saturdays which took more time.  The program kept growing and expanding and soon six months went by very fast.   
• Having buy-in from senior leaders and physicians is a must. To commit to a program of this magnitude, senior leadership buy-in and physician support is needed from the very beginning.  It helps to form a committee to oversee the program development and adhere to a timeline.
• Carving out training time is needed to ensure success. Labs are busy departments within any hospital, making it difficult to find training time.  Onsite training during or upon case completion, break time and at end of day, as well as dedicated offsite training was key to Duke’s success.  The dedicated training was so important that senior leadership paid employees overtime and provided breakfast for the Saturday morning event.

With the lessons learned behind them, Duke is well on their way to meeting their goal of enhancing the expertise of their EP staff and providing more support for this important service center.  Additionally, with a knowledgeable lab and excellent continuing education platform in place, Duke is well positioned for the future.  Advanced technologies will come.  New employees will come. More patients will come. Duke will be ready, ready to deliver high quality EP services in line with their highly respected reputation and position as one of the top hospitals in the U.S.  Read the entire article here.   

As with Duke, education has proven to improve employee engagement, reduce retention and improve overall lab efficiency.  To hear first hand about the training Duke implemented and the benefits they experienced sign up for our upcoming webinar on March 27  at 11 am EST. 

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