Coaching Roles and Responsibilities

Please stop and consider:

What was your first healthcare workplace experience like?

Was there an individual who made a significant difference for you? If so, how?

How would you describe the best support system for the student, new graduate or new hire experience?

Reflection: What support system and/or tools are needed by the clinical coach or preceptor to deliver this ‘best support system’?

Protector Role:

Reflection: How do you arrange your assignment and work to fulfill the Protector Role?

Educator

Reflection: What coaching actions are involved in being an effective educator?

How do you arrange your assignment to ensure that there is time to demonstrate new skills and opportunity to stand back and observe the practice of the learner?

Evaluator:

Reflection: Do you have a documentation tool that supports clear, concise, concrete documentation of clinical capability?

Does the documentation communicate the learner’s capability and needs from one preceptor to another?

If not, what needs to be improved?

Facilitator

Role model

What does ethical and professional behavior in the clinical setting look like in relation to:

Organizational change / Religious beliefs / Cultural background

Self Care

Reflection: How do you role model and/or teach effective self-care principles for the learner with whom you are working?

Socializer

Reflection: What is the most important thing that you do as a socializer.

Transition Shock

Student

Very limited # patients
Focus on components
Limited clinical time
Instructor controlled
Pre-planned assignment
Fellow Students To New Care Provider
Meals/breaks ₀ Full assignment
Responsible for ALL!
Full 8 to 12 hour shift
Coach support*
Assignment “surprise”
New group
Meals? Breaks?

Which of the above transitions were hardest for you to adjust to / What might have made this transition easier for you?

Reflection: What additional stressors come with accepting the role of preceptor or coach?

What sort of preparation or resources can help you address these issues?

Self Care Realities

Reflection: What do you currently do to ‘re-charge your batteries’?

What do you do each day or week that represents your own self care?

If you do not practice self care, what can you start doing now?

Group Discussion Point

What are key values, attitudes, or actions that may need to change – so that self-care is role modeled on your unit and in your practice?

What actions support socialization within the workplace?

What actions occur in your workplace that represent the full work team being engaged in the development and competency assessment of the new staff member?

Tools: Policies and Procedures that guide our practice

Find and read your agency policies for student management, competency assessment, orientation, and coaching or preceptor program. You may need to look in job descriptions for details regarding role expectations and responsibilities of various team members.

Reflection: What other roles are outlined and defined?

Are there defined expectations and requirements for students in your agency?

In your opinion, what are the most important guidelines within these protocols?

What might be missing or have need of further development/updating?

Group Discussion Point

Which statements or items within the protocols are of greatest value to the Coach?

How and why are these important?

Discuss and list the resources available to you in your work setting.

Develop an action plan for any items that are absent, incomplete, or may need updating.

Effective leadership attributes that the coach will use include:

Leadership Attribute / What will you do in the clinical setting that exemplifies this attribute in your clinical coaching role?
Respectful Support
finds ways to support ideas of others
reframes negative or criticizing comments to ones that show support
assumes everyone wants to do the best job they can
sees mistakes as learning opportunities
gives people the benefit of the doubt
Change Management

recognizes the need to change and removes barriers
champions the change and enlists others in it’s pursuit
models the way

Relationship Management
have a knack for finding common ground with people of all kinds
have a network of people in place for when the time of action comes
motivates others towards a common vision
are committed to helping people improve
are excellent persuaders and collaborators
Communication and Feedback

promotes a friendly cooperative climate encouraging debate and open discussion
handles difficult people and tense situations with diplomacy and tact
creates win-win situations

Team Building
models team qualities of respect – helpfulness – cooperation
shares credit
protects the team
builds rapport and keeps others in the loop
makes and maintains personal friendships among co-workers
Teaching

acknowledges and rewards people’s strengths and accomplishments
gives useful feedback
identifies individual needs for further growth
challenges and fosters skills development
attentive to emotional clues and listens well

Healthy Work Environment

focuses on finding solutions and achieving desirable outcomes
seeks to protect and advance collaborative relationships among colleagues
invites and listens to all relevant perspectives
calls upon good will and mutual respect to build consensus and common understanding
demonstrates congruence between words and actions, holding others accountable for doing the same
supports zero-tolerance policies and enforces them to address and eliminate abuse and disrespectful behavior in the workplace

Competency Development and accountability

Reflection: What does competence look like in your clinical practice setting?

How would you word a definition of competence for your agency’s policy statement?

Reflection: Does the regulatory board for your specialty provide a definition of Competence?

What provides us with evidence that the care provider has the knowledge to fulfill this definition and role?

What sort of evidence integrates interpersonal, decision-making, and psychomotor skills?

Reflection: (Circle the appropriate answer for each question)

Does your job description clearly define the expectations that must be met during orientation to the specific practice setting? Yes No

Is the tool written in language that is clear, concise, concrete?YesNo

Are the directions for documentation present, clear and simple?YesNo

Does the orientation tool clearly detail clinical expectations for the unit?YesNo

Are aspects of critical thinking & judgment addressed within your tool? Yes No

Does it show both initial and ongoing performance expectations? YesNo

If you answered NO for any of these, what might be done to improve communication of expectations for clinical practice?

Reflection: Small group or individual work:

Consider the core practice competencies in the chart on the next page and write at least one statement that details a performance expectation for two off these categories.

Think about what occurs in the clinical setting – what does the care provider do?

Start your sentence with an action verb (such as: adopt, analyze, apply, assess, communicate, report, evaluate, manage, organize, develop, deliver, document, calculate, change, choose, compare, complete, develop, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, explain, examine, explain, formulate, illustrate, interpret, interact, initiate, operate, practice, restate, schedule, solve, treat, teach, use, etc.)
Avoid using the words ‘demonstrates’ or ‘able to’. A statement can be written in clearer, more concise and concrete language by going straight to the core action verb!

Apply the KISSS principle: Keep it Short, Succinct and Simple.

Lenburg’s Eight Core Practice Competencies: Write a statement that details 1 example of clinical performance expectation for each category

Category Subskills: Details to consider / Clinical Performance
1. Assessment & Intervention
safety and protection; monitoring and data collection; assessment, analysis, diagnosis, and planning ; therapeutic treatments and procedures; utilization of medical equipment for monitoring & therapy
2. Communication
oral skills: 1) talking, listening, with individuals 2) interviewing, history taking 3) group discussion, interacting 4) telling, showing, reports; writing skills: 1) clinical reports, care plans, charting 2) agency reports, forms, memos 3) articles, manuals, directions, instructions; computing skills - documentation; information processing; application of nursing informatics as it relates to: 1) clients, agencies, other authorities 2) information search and inquiry 3) professional responsibilities
3. Critical Thinking
data collection, evaluation; integrating data from multiple sources; integrating theory/principles in clinical practice, analysis, planning; problem solving; diagnostic reasoning; creating alternatives; decision making; prioritizing; anticipates potent. problems; scientific inquiry; research
4. Human Caring and Relationship
morality, ethics, legality; cultural respect; cooperative interpersonal relationships; c. client advocacy and relationship-based care; teamwork and collaboration
5. Management
administration, organization, coordination, planning, delegation, supervision of others, human and material resource utilization, accountability, responsibility; performance appraisal, quality improvement & assurance
6. Leadership - collaboration; coalition building; assertiveness; risk taking
creativity, vision to formulate alternatives; planning, anticipating, supporting with evidence; professional accountability; role behaviors; appearance
7. Teaching -
Target audience: individuals & groups; clients, families, community, co-workers, others:
Needs: health promotion; health restoration; self-care; supporting patient /family goals for life / wellness; coaching, mentoring, precepting, teaching,; assessment, protection, development, evaluation
8. Knowledge Integration - integration of nursing, ancillary, and related disciplines; systems thinking and systems-based practice; integrating analysis within systematic, care-focused communications (SBAR); specialty-focused care that is population-specific & individualized; evidence-based practice and patient care

Reflection: What about the Poor Performer?

Consider a difficult performance issue that you have dealt with in the past.

How might you word a performance statement that would reveal this person’s gap in practice capability?

Reflection: As a healthcare professional, complete a web search for the regulatory bodies that sanction your practice within your state. For information about a specific profession, select it from the drop-down list on the web page or do a web search for that professional regulatory board.

Please answer these questions:

What is the most important item that you learned from reviewing your licensing regulations?

What does your regulatory board say about your ‘scope of practice’?

Reflection: Are there residencies or internships required prior to independent practice in your setting or specialty?

Are you expected to precept or coach students?

What liability or accountability issues might arise in that role?

Group Discussion Point

How does delegation relate to precepting?

How do you make sure the coachee understands their assignment?

Do you schedule time for reflection and feedback?

How often do you document the practice of the learner?