Competency. Easy to say, but how do you know that your staff are, indeed, competent?
SA Pathology Quality & Accreditation Manager, Jason Graefling, recently discussed this topic at NATA’s Accreditation Matters 2024 conference, as well as the importance of continued learning.
“From a human pathology perspective, at the end of any testing process is a patient and a patient outcome,” he said. “And what we want to make sure is that the result that’s being generated is then being used to make an appropriate clinical diagnosis .”
However, Graefling said there are a lot of steps that go into generating a reliable test result. One key component is staff competency, which is their ability to know what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Applying their learnt knowledge and skills to situations encountered is paramount.
The importance of upskilling
In terms of basic knowledge and information, most of the positions in a laboratory have defined qualification requirements. These qualifications alone however do not allow a person to fulfil their role competently.
When it comes to the daily tasks within a laboratory, or at a patient collection centre where people get their blood taken, Graefling says this is where staff training, supported by defined organisational processes (e.g. procedure manuals), comes to the forefront in how well a health provider delivers its services.
When it comes to training, Graefling uses a mixture of internal and external providers such as NATA Education. The statewide pathology service recently participated in a series of short courses delivered by NATA Education over several months.
“The leadership program was probably the one that really stood out for a large number of participants,” Graefling said. “The risk management, understanding standards, and internal auditing courses were also found to be of great value.”
To hear more insights from Graefling from the discussion, view the full recording.
Learning from NATA
When time, cost, and logistics are a barrier to upskilling, it can deter managers from delivering or arranging training.
NATA Education has a public course schedule for organisations that are running new staff inductions or want to familiarise its staff about a standard. The courses also provide an opportunity meet with like-minded people from other facilities and learn from each other.
NATA Education also offers in-house training, where they conduct training courses for the staff of a single organisation. If needed, an organisation’s procedures and policies can be included in a customised course or a program of short courses.
Visit NATA Education to find out more.