Healthcare Excellence!
Our innovative Preceptor Program gives our nurses the skills to excel.
Peace of mind. We often hear this phrase from family members who have loved ones as residents of Westminster Canterbury Richmond. This is especially important when residents need healthcare.
Our nurses play a critical role in our healthcare excellence, and in order to ensure they have the right tools from the beginning, every new hire goes through our Preceptor Program. Developed here, this initial training provides new hires with the confidence and competence to be successful team members and caregivers. Since the inception of the program in 2014, nineteen new licensed nurses have been trained.
Depending on their level of experience, nurses may spend from four to eight weeks as a preceptee and rotate through a number of our households (actual wings in the Mary Morton Parsons Health Center). There are classroom sessions, hands-on training and formal evaluations.
The Preceptor Program is a meaningful example of our commitment to being an innovator in senior living. Having this type of program, coupled with a dedicated full-time Clinical Educator on staff, is not unusual in large hospitals, but highly unusual for a continuing care retirement community.
Recently we surveyed nurses about their impressions of our Preceptor Program training. Here’s a sampling of the results:
- After more than 30 years of working in various healthcare facilities, this is my dream job. It was also the best orientation I’ve ever received.
- I have confidence in our team because I know we have all been trained to do things the same way, at the same high standard.
- Having extra caregivers on the floor benefits not just the residents, who get more personalized attention, it also benefits our staff. I am able to get to know my residents so well. I know them, their family members – some of the family members even recognize my voice on the phone!
- In some facilities, only one Certified Nursing Assistant per floor is CPR-certified. Here, all of us are. A few seconds can make a huge difference when it comes to saving someone’s life, and all of us are equipped with those necessary skills.
Our level of healthcare excellence is raised thanks to generous donors. If you are interested in learning more about our healthcare excellence, please contact Anita Adkins, Development Officer-Strategic Gifts, at aadkins@wcrichmond.org or 804.264.6202.