Trusts Build Job Skills and Careers
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Kaiser Permanente employees use education trusts in record numbers
For Jennifer Cuevo, an urgent care nurse in Pasadena, the opportunity was too good to pass up: Earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing without paying fees.
For Joel Boyd, manager of pulmonary clinical services in South Sacramento, teaming with a trust fund created an opportunity to teach nearly 500 respiratory therapists ways to improve care and lower costs.
From earning degrees to learning best practices, Kaiser Permanente employees are using the 2 Labor Management Partnership-supported education trusts (Ben Hudnall Memorial Trust and SEIU UHW-West & Joint Employer Education Fund) in record numbers. Program enrollments rose 26% in 2018 to 113,494; there were nearly 59,000 enrollments in the first half of 2019, on pace for another record year.
“We can address solutions,” says Rebecca Hanson, SEIU Education Fund executive director. “There’s overwhelming demand among the workforce for training opportunities aligned with patient care delivery needs.”
Through the trusts, employees can build skills, meet targeted needs in training programs, and work with career counselors to set career goals and create plans to achieve them.
“We’re preparing our workforce for the jobs of tomorrow,” says Jessica Butz, Ben Hudnall trust co-director.
Going for it
Cuevo, a 16-year Kaiser Permanente employee and UNAC/UHCP member, started as a licensed vocational nurse, then became a registered nurse. She always wanted a bachelor’s degree but put her dreams on hold while raising her children — until she talked with a Ben Hudnall career counselor and learned good news.
With a few additional courses, Cuevo could qualify for a bachelor’s program. The trust would pay the fees.
“I’m so thankful,” Cuevo says. “I wouldn’t have done this without the help of the trust and the partnership of Kaiser with the universities.”
Most classes were online, which Cuevo took at home. She did in-person requirements on days off — coordinating with her manager and family — completing her degree in 4 semesters. Her 17-year-old daughter is “really inspired,” Cuevo says. “She wants to go into research or be a doctor.”
Cuevo’s inspired, too. In November, she started a master’s program – paid again by Ben Hudnall. Cuevo, who wants to teach nurses, encourages colleagues to use trust services.
“Go for it,” she says. “It’s so worth it. Get your degree. Move up. You can do it. I did it. I love it.”
Benefits of partnership
When Boyd and pulmonary clinical services colleagues in Northern California reviewed their operations, they saw a need to standardize some patient care practices. Their goal: to decrease the length of stay for patients on mechanical ventilation to reduce the risk of such complications as pneumonia, improve care and lower costs.
They partnered with the SEIU Education Fund to organize 8 group trainings for respiratory therapists at Kaiser Permanente’s Garfield Innovation Center.
Working with the education fund was easy and helped get employee buy-in and participation, Boyd said. The trainings were so effective, more may be offered in Northern California and other regions.
“Nothing at this scale has ever been done for respiratory therapists,” Boyd says. “It was a true example of how we can get positive benefits from the Partnership.”
Tips for Spreading Effective Practices
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Found a solution that works? Share the success with others!
Unit-based teams are getting results — and are finding ways to share their learning with their peers face to face, online or in print. Talk with your team about how to use these and other ideas to share your learning and spread success.
- Track your progress. UBT Tracker is a web-based tool that helps unit-based teams and consultants collect and report information about their performance improvement work. Our UBT Tracker User Guide can help you make the most of your Tracker entries or search for model projects.
- Tell your story. Storytelling is one of the best ways to explain partnership and show others your results. Sign your team up for our storytelling training.
- Step right up. UBT fairs are a dynamic forum for spreading effective practices face to face. Hosting your own webinar online lets you reach beyond the walls of your facility.
- Lights…camera…take action. Kaiser Permanente’s Care Management Institute uses video ethnography— interviewing KP patients at the care site—to help teams share ideas and keep patients at the centerof performance improvement. To learn more, visit CMI’s Video Ethnography & Storytelling page [KP intranet].
- Write all about it. Use fliers, posters and newsletters to keep others informed and engaged in your team’s projects. Post your results in the break room. Invite another unit to your huddle for a progress report. Use these templates to create your next newsletter.
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- Hosting in-service to discuss how to properly set up a scanning procedure
- Monitoring the process to ensure the scanning was done properly
- Sharing feedback about the process so every team member can learn from any mistake
What can your team do to work with other UBTs so you can both improve? What additional training could your team benefit from?
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- Looking for less expensive options, like switching from primary tubing to secondary tubing
- Using secondary instead of primary tubing for IV patients, whenever it is medically safe
- Working through the change so everyone on the team understands and adapts
What can your team do to make sure it's using the right supplies for the job? What else could your team do to keep KP affordable for patients and members?
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- Creating ID system for new members, such as highly visible yellow stickers on member cards
- Training staff and doctors about the importance of new members and how to make them feel welcome
- Making outreach calls for the new member's first appointment
What can your team do to welcome new members to KP?
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- Assessing on-hand pharmaceutical supplies for need
- Working with providers to reduce cost and amount of needed drugs
- Reducing number of on-hand meds
What can your team do to order and use supplies wisely? What else could your team do to help keep KP affordable for members and patients?
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- Developing stretching routines that target large muscle groups and various joint areas
- Adding stretch routines that help lifting, pulling, pushing and twisting to daily 7 a.m. huddles
- Discussing workplace safety at every morning huddle and encouraging full participation
What can your team do to prevent injuries?
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- Reviewing upcoming ultrasound appointments to schedule reminder calls
- Dividing call duties among different assigned staffers to ensure privacy
- Calling a day in advance of appointments to discuss patient instructions
What can your team do to reach out to patients? And how could your team work with other teams to improve service?
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- Assigning a point person to work with physicians and departments to ensure patients have the needed lab orders
- Coordinating efforts across the multiple departments that engage in a patient's treatment
- Assigning a backup assistant to ensure the point duties are covered
What can your team do to identify where things "fall through the cracks"? What else could your team do to put the patient at the center?
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- Standardizing note-taking styles across the team
- Assigning a financial counselor to each in-need patient
- Working with Admitting Department to identify patients who need assistance and provide counseling
What can your team do to reduce unneeded variation? And what can your team do to work with other teams to improve service?