Pennsylvania 2018 73(1) | Page 11

These five programs serve as a po- tential nursing pipeline in which students can enter at any point. LVHN encourages the youth population to participate in the network’s various programs and supports students at all levels in their educational journey. LVHN hospitals are among the largest and oldest licensed teaching hos- pitals in Pennsylvania. In addi- tion, the health network is one of only 400 members of the presti- gious Council of Teaching Hos- pitals. LVHN’s academic com- munity health network includes eight hospitals, more than 150 practices, ExpressCare, and other offices. To date, LVHN has a pres- ence in five Pennsylvania coun- ties and remains committed to offering high-quality educational experiences with more than 90 af- filiate schools and 2,000 students completing nursing, medical, and other rotations each year. This article will discuss how LVHN’s youth programming model and student data collection methodologies have resulted in valuable metrics linking partici- pation in youth programing with recruitment and retention in LVHN’s healthcare workforce. Methods LVHN’s Department of Educa- tion (DoE) launched a quality improvement (QI) project target- ing the data collection process to track student information across various youth programs. The project focused on evaluat- ing LVHN’s current methods for efficient and effective data col- lection. An investigation into the current tracking process for youth program participants identified a significant gap in the data. It also revealed the existence of multiple databases storing duplicate and incomplete information. An- other missing component was key identifiers needed to track student participation, including date of birth and social security num- bers. A review of student records dating to the 2006-2007 academic year was completed and records were updated. Lean methodologies were em- ployed to conduct a root cause analysis and determine next steps. Lean thinking is a manage- ment philosophy derived from the manufacturing industry, specifically modeled after Toyo- ta’s successes. Many healthcare organizations, including LVHN, have applied this approach to patient care, education, and daily operations to regulate process improvements for impactful and sustainable change. Lean think- ing characterizes an individual’s or an organization’s approach to problem solving through a series of specific steps. The first step in this process was to create an A3 to guide the dia- logue and analysis of the prob- lem. A3 refers to the international size of paper used to visualize problems, which is approximately 11-by-17 inches (Shook, 2008). The A3 included backgrounds, current conditions, goals and tar- gets, analysis, data collected, pro- posed countermeasures, the plan, and follow-up guidelines. It also served as the standard template for the root cause analysis. The A3 included the classic fishbone diagram as a cause and effect tool to illustrate the data gap (see Figure 3). The use of lean methodologies allowed the DoE to identify bar- riers to data collection, locate problems related to the track- ing of student information, and propose process improvements. A standard operating procedure was established for data collection pertaining to youth programs. Staff received education on up- dated methods. The DoE implemented the QI project with the purpose of identifying data collection barri- ers and developing a standardized process. These initiatives would allow LVHN to track youth pro- gram student participation, inter- face with human resources’ new hire data, and evaluate retention rates for RNs and other health- care providers. Improving the tracking processes of the youth program students has allowed the health network to show stake- holders the value of their support for youth education programs. In addition, it demonstrates the suc- cess of the program goals in meet- ing the need for educating and retaining students to populate the future healthcare workforce. Outcomes Standardizing data collection and entry allows the DoE to search and review student information related to LVHN. For example, the DoE can determine the num- ber of program participants who Issue 73, 1 2018 Pennsylvania Nurse 9