3023 - Strategic Staffing Support: Implementing Patient Care Assistants in Surgery

Overview/Abstract: There are six surgery locations in Northern Kentucky and Indiana that make up the St. Elizabeth Surgery Department. The leadership team examined strategies to enhance efficiency and healthcare personnel in the midst of post-pandemic staffing challenges. A team-nursing approach was used to implement the Patient Care Assistant (PCA) role in the operating room. In December 2023, a Surgery PCA Training Program was put into place. The program was designed to assist the circulating registered nurses in their delegating role. The program was multimodal, including clinical training with a preceptor across the different surgical specialties, didactics, and practical skills training. The surgery department's culture changed when the PCA position was added. As a result, the leadership team created staff engagement plans and conducted open dialogue and training on the new PCA position. In order to engage and acclimate staff to the PCA role, a PCA Task Force Committee was established. The PCA position has been heavily utilized during the last one and a half years. Adding them to our operating room team has helped phase out the need for contracted staff in our surgical department. And as the needs of healthcare evolves, our plan is to expand the PCA role to the best of their abilities within their scope of practice.