USA Health recruiting safety coaches
Frontline staff and residents, both clinical and nonclinical, can volunteer to become safety coaches and work with their peers to reinforce safety tools.
USA Health is launching the next phase of the safety program, Safety Starts With Me, by recruiting and training safety coaches. Safety coaches are frontline staff and residents, both clinical and nonclinical, who work with their peers to reinforce safety tools.
“This step is the backbone of the safety program,” said Becky Pomrenke, R.N., M.S.N., patient safety manager for USA Health. “Without a strong safety coach program that helps sustain the safety behaviors and tools, it becomes very difficult to maintain momentum. Safety coaches are vital because they can influence their peers.”
Safety coaches should be good communicators and informal leaders who are trusted by staff and passionate about safety and process improvement. “We really want people to volunteer,” Pomrenke said. “Their managers can identify them and talk with them about the program, but we don’t want to force anyone.”
The duties of a safety coach involve committing to coaching for a year and completing 10 observations a month, a check-in that takes about 15 minutes a week. “Observations are checking to see whether their peers know the safety behavior and tool of the month,” Pomrenke said. “If they see people using safety tools, they can call attention to the behavior and provide positive feedback.”
Safety coaches also attend a one-hour meeting each month with the safety team and other coaches.
Staff and residents who volunteer to become safety coaches can benefit from making an impact, Pomrenke said. “They can be an added resource to their department, and they can assist with processes and positive changes, not only in their areas but also systemwide,” she said. “Coaches will have dedicated time with their managers each month to talk about what is going well and what opportunities there are for improvement. Additionally, coaches will have a voice and the resources to make a positive impact.”
Those interested in becoming safety coaches should sign up by Friday, Aug. 26. Training dates and times are:
- Tuesday, Aug. 30, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Children’s & Women’s Hospital multipurpose room
- Tuesday, Aug. 30, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Children’s & Women’s Hospital multipurpose room
- Wednesday, Aug. 31, 9 a.m. to noon, University Hospital conference center
