Competencies took a year to develop

Program patterned after JCAHO standards

It took the rehab staff at Daniel Freeman Hospitals in Inglewood, CA, about a year to develop the competency assessment system that begins during hiring.

To initiate the development process, a team of discipline coordinators in the rehab department, led by Shaun Brayton-Gerratt, MA/CCC, director of acute services and special diagnostic services, met and brainstormed.

The discipline coordinators patterned their system on standards from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, based in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.

They developed a checklist of all the items that must be covered in an employee's orientation. These include such items as the hospital mission and philosophy, how to page someone, and how to conduct an assessment.

The discipline coordinators also put together an educational record that logs inservices, off-site classes, projects completed by the employee, committees on which the employee serves, and an annual check-off for mandatory inservices such as fire and safety and infection control classes.

The biggest job was to develop the detailed job description for every job, says Ellie LeVine, PT, discipline coordinator for physical therapy.

Then the group came up with job descriptions and basic core skills for all employment levels, such as PT 1, PT 2, and PT 3. They also developed a job description and competency checklist for aides.

The job descriptions are very detailed and include what the job encompasses, what core skills are needed, expectations of the employee, and how they can be accomplished.

"It is important to have a job description that details the purpose, essential duties, responsibilities, and minimal qualifications," LeVine says.