PCBH –Medical Assistant (MA)Self-Assessment Tool

Name of MA: / Clinic:
Name of Trainer: / Type of Review:
ORIENTATION
TRAINING
SKILL CHECK / Date Administered:

This tool offers you, as a MA, an opportunity to self-asses your knowledge and skills related to successful use of the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) services in your clinic. PCBH staff members include the Behavioral Health Consultant (BHC) and, in the future, may include the Behavioral Health Consultant Assistant (BHC Assistant). Your responses will also help your Nurse Manager develop plans for on-going training.

When first beginning to work with PCBH staff, MAs need information about how to interface with the new team members. After an initial period of practice, most MAs are ready to learn new clinical skills. This tool helps you navigate this learning process with intention and focus.

The MA Self-Assessment Tool includes five knowledge / skill development areas. We recommend that you focus on the first four immediately after you begin to practice in the PCBH program and save areas five and six for when you have a solid foundation in the basics. The six areas are:

  1. MA / RN, PCC, & BHC Interface
  2. Value-Added Use of BHC
  3. Use of Assessment and Screening Tools
  4. Clinical Skills: Brief Behavioral Interventions
  5. Clinical Skills: Pathways

A PCBH trainer will teach you the basic skills (areas one through three) when you begin to practice in a PCBH clinic setting. Six months later, the trainer will return and provide information and skill practice opportunities for areas four and five.

This is how we recommend that you use this tool.

  1. Use it first during your initial training as a check on what you understand and what you still have questions about in areas 1-3. Make a check in the column that describes your situation at the end of training. The column options are:

Untrained:“I have not been trained to do this.”

Trained:“I have been trained to do this.”

Skillful: “I have the skill to do this consistently with confidence.”

  1. Use this tool again after your second training with the PCBH trainer as a check on what you understand about areas 4-5. Make a check in the column that describes your situation at the end of training. Options are same as those noted above.

Provide your Nurse Manager with a copy of your responses after each training. At your request, the BHC and / or medical director will provide you additional reading materials on the PCBH Program. A copy of the PCBH Program manual is available from the Medical Director, Nurse Manager, or the BHC.

  1. RN / PCB-BA Interface
/ Un-trained / Trained / Skillful
  1. Understands the roles and responsibilities of BHC

  1. Understands process for having patients triaged and scheduled for same-day visits with the BHC

  1. Understands how to direct patients to obtain a future scheduled appointment with a BHC

  1. Provides an accurate verbal description of PCBH services to patients and/or provides patient with the program brochure (for example, says “The BHC will help you learn to sleep better”).

  1. Uses PCBH referral script language to lessen stigma and enhance patient acceptance of service

  1. Notifies PCC or RN when signs of psychological distress are noted in rooming a patient

  1. Stocks BHC Referral Forms and PCBH brochures (if used) for PCCs and RNs

  1. Uses Referral Form or equivalent to enhance communication between PCC, patient, and BHC and clarity of target problem

  1. Collaborates withBHC to improve patient use of medications (for example, requests BHC to explore barriers to patient adherence)

  1. Promotes and supports patient attendance of classes lead by BHC

  1. Understands the basic components of a BHC visit

  1. Supports BHC communication with PCC and / or RN before and after patient visits with the BHC

  1. Understands how the PCBH team fits into the primary care model and able to advocate for their integration with other staff

  1. Seeks assistance from and provides information to the PCBH Advisor (a PCC or RN colleague) regarding integration of PCBH team members into patient care activities and / or PCBH Committee

  1. Value-Added Use of PCB-BA
/ Un-trained / Trained / Skillful
  1. Identifies opportunities for using theBHC to reduce burden on PCC and other staff that will, at the same time, enhance patient outcomes. For example, let the PCC or RN know when you room a patient that might benefit from skill training from PCB and shorten the time the PCC needs to spend with the patient and focus more on medical issues.

  1. Use of Assessment and Screening Tools
/ Un-trained / Trained / Skillful
  1. Understands Duke Health Profile

  1. Understands Pediatric Symptom Checklist

  1. Understands screener associated with a specific clinic pathways and learn to use screeners when asked by PCC or RN

  1. Clinical Skills: Brief Behavioral Interventions
/ Un-trained / Trained / Skillful
  1. Makes PCBH patient education materials available to patients at PCC or RN request

  1. Communicates information to BHC as requested by PCC or RN

  1. Clinical Skills: PCBH Pathway Services
/ Un-trained / Trained / Skillful
  1. Participates consistently in PCBH pilots and programs

  1. Provides requested PCBH pathway activities

Appendix C3-Page 1