Staff Development Resources Research Articles

A manager’s challenge: Is external supervision more valuable than increased training money for staff?

INTRODUCTION: Supervision is regarded as an integral necessity for the development and maintenance of professional standards in social workers and is also common practice in other health professions. There is debate, however, about the relative strengths of external and internal supervision. External supervision is recommended but there is a significant financial cost in contracting external supervisors. Also, some argue that internal supervision better manages staff and simplifies communication.METHODS: This article provides a case study of an agency considering changing its supervision systems and the relative benefits and risks that need to be considered.FINDINGS: Each agency needs to consider how to get the best from staff development resources considering the time or finances available. External supervision can offer wider choice to staff with more ethical issues debated. However, this may limit other staff development funding.CONCLUSION: It is recommended that every agency regularly review how to get the best supervision for its staff.

Legislating the Good

In this article, the authors trace the historical context of character education legislation in the United States, analyze and evaluate current legislative trends, and discuss the inherent dangers in legislating the good. The survey concludes that at no other time in history have Americans attempted to legislate such a specific vision of character education. The authors evaluate this legislation using the criteria of local choice, programmatic integration, comprehensiveness, community involvement, K-12 implementation, and allocation of staff development resources. Their evaluation reveals that few state laws meet these criteria and that some laws even contradict the spirit of comprehensive character education. They conclude that these inadequacies are fatal flaws in current attempts to legislate character.

Exploring the Transfer of Learning from an Executive Development Program for Human Services Managers

Given the limited staff development resources in human service agencies and the estimate that only 10% of learning gained through training is transferred to on-the-job performance, the transfer of learning has become a critical issue. This article examines the transfer of learning process related to a human services executive development program. It is based on a program evaluation and case study that identified three important mechanisms for the transfer of learning: (1) supervisor support of participants before, during, and after the program, (2) opportunities to share program learning with others, and (3) agency-based projects that help participants apply the knowledge gained from the training program.

Innovative Staff Education Techniques

A knowledgeable, skillful staff of health care providers is critical to enhance clinical outcomes for patients; however, there can be much confusion about the processes used by educators to support and develop staff. Although adult-learning principles should be used, it is also important to remember that not all clinical performance problems require an educational approach. Published literature of educational programs that have been documented to reduce catheter-related complications is reviewed along with key concepts of learning needs assessment, transfer of learning, and staff development resources.

Train-the-Trainer Project meets organization's strategic initiative for retention and continuous learning.

Increasing staff education needs, limited staff development resources, and retention of valuable staff are issues facing healthcare providers today. This article describes the use of project management methodology to design and implement a Train-the-Trainer (TTT) program. This TTT program describes how to enlist leadership support for staff presentation of educational offerings. The TTT program was designed to retain employees through staff development and meet the educational needs of the healthcare system.

Evaluation

Evaluation is an important aspect of staff development service. However, it is frequently overlooked or superficially addressed in staff development quality management programs. This article emphasizes the importance of multilevel evaluation techniques to assure quality education and promote effective use of staff development resources. The author suggests the greatest impact in staff development evaluation lies in the ability to demonstrate transference of learning to the bedside.

The Aviation Education Teacher Resource Center: A Unique Strategy to Improve Math and Science Education

A unique program that enhances the applied mathematics and science knowledge of teachers was established at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (fRAU). The program provides materials, equipment, education, and curriculum development services to educators at no cost. This model of collaboration between a university and a school district is presented as a template to enhance staff development efforts in other districts. Although this program presents a specific orientation of interest unique to the collaborating institutions, it clearly demonstrates how resources can be acquired and assembled by capitalizing on the strengths of the participants. INTRODUCTION Staff development programs are often relied upon to improve the quality and skills of educators and consequently to enhance the educational curriculum. Recent studies (Thompson and Cooley, 1987; Cooley and Thompson, 1986) of staff development programs across the nation indicate that those programs with the strongest legislative, district, and fiscal support are those most likely to be recognized as exemplary. This is particularly true in the Southern region of the country where staff development programs are typically mandated by law. It should come as no surprise that programs receiving the greatest effort and attention are those that are designated as outstanding. The effort described here is a unique collaboration between a school district and a University that resulted in an innovative program to increase staff development resources. The paper describes how a district staff development program is strengthened, without using district or state resources, by 8 establishing a University based Teacher Resource Center. The Teacher Resource Center focuses on developing aviation education and awareness of teachers by providing aviation curriculum guides, computer software, audio-visual instructional materials, workshops, site visits of aviation facilities, aviation career presentations, youth academies, aviation instructional kits, demonstration devices, computers, and a wealth of classroom materials. The program was developed to enhance educator knowledge and awareness in applied mathematics and science. Unlike in-service education, institutes, and workshops, this program was designed to be a permanent resource available within the local school districts. In this respect, the disadvantages of short term, fixed time programs could be averted. Fixed time programs (those programswhich do not have a continuous followon) are often criticized for: (a) Covering too much material in limited time, (b) poor scheduling, (c) inaccessibility to a supply of classroom materials, (d) rigid structuring, and (e) being a one time event with little follow-on (Boschee & Heim, 1980). The program set out in this paper is fully established, operates year round, and is available to educators in both public and private institutions. This paper addresses the history, goals, and resources assembled; the advantages to teachers having access to these facilities; and the ways school district needs are being met. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the strengths of an aviation institution of higher education can be capitalized upon to strengthen the staff development efforts within a school district. Consequently, specific recommendations for developing similar staff development resources are offered.

Regionalizing staff development resources.

Whether staff development is a low-budgeted priority in CMHCs need not determine the value or volume of training activities in such a setting. In Northwest Indiana five CMHCs have, for the past few years, regionalized staff development training resources, sharing presenters, hardware, and monies, through the Northwest Indiana Staff Development Consortium. This article describes its purpose, history, and cost effective collaborative efforts.

The Agency Administrator's Role in Meeting the Needs of the Multiply Handicapped Blind Client

Administrators of agencies serving the blind have the chief responsibility for enabling their staffs to serve multiply handicapped clients. Administrators set the tone of the agency, breathing life into service philosophies: on a practical level, they can use personnel practices, staff development resources and case management techniques to insure implementation of sound, individualized service to clients.

Fostering professional nursing careers in hospitals: the role of staff development, Part 1.

In addressing issues of job satisfaction and nursing retention, staff development programs and activities hold the potential for significant positive influence. This two-part article will explore responsibilities and structures for executing expanded staff development functions that facilitate professional careers in hospital nursing. In Part 1, the author outlines a career employment for hospital nurses and addresses the issues and challenges in the orientation and inservice education component of the model. Next month in Part 2, the author will address the redistribution of staff development resources in attending to the second and third components other model. The discussion provides a forward view of staff development that will foster retention of professionally oriented nurses and delivery of quality care at controlled costs.