HCBS Training
Assessing Whether Training is Effective
Teams want to know if the new content included in training is understood by all staff. A pre and post-test can be used to understand whether new content is learned. A pre-test using multiple choice, true and false or open-ended questions shows what staff members already know. The post-test evaluates whether the training helped staff learn new content. If the organization already has a pre-post test for new staff, teams can add a few key questions to assess whether staff members are learning new content related to person-centered and positive support practices. If no pre/post test process is in place, a survey about person-centered practices can be added to the training program. You may ask questions about what people have learned or what added training would be helpful. Another way to examine the training is to ask people receiving services to share their thoughts about whether they see any changes in HCBS.
One team was struggling because team members felt that asking trainers to add activities to improve new staff onboarding would result in higher stress levels. With high staff turnover rates, mentors were already reporting challenges keeping staff trained. Adding more tasks to the supervisory and trainer workloads was seen as a problem. One suggestion that came up during a brainstorming session with human resource staff members, coaches, mentors, and people receiving services was to create a learner-guided process for new staff to follow on their own and manage their own instruction.
Each new staff member received a list of activities to complete on their own. Once the new staff member completed each learning task on the list, they were reminded to check in with a coach, supervisor, or person receiving services to ask for feedback and a final sign-off. This also gave new staff a chance to talk about what they learned with someone who new the information. This learner-driven approach reduced the time placed on any one coach, mentor, person receiving services, or other trainer. The activities on the list also help staff members meet people and learn about their new job.
A few tasks that might be included in this learner-guided activity include:
- Watching a video that introduces how to write a One-Page Description describing what is important to them and for them at work,
- Preparing and sharing the staff member’s One-Page Description at an upcoming monthly meeting,
- Using a new tool with another staff member during a shift and checking in with a coach to share what was learned,
- Interviewing a person receiving supports using person-centered tools. Then discussing what was learned with a coach, and
- Reading Module 1 in this online training and attending a team action-planning meeting.
- Completing Module 1 pre/post-test questions, and writing a short summary of person-centered practices (see the HCBS Main Page for the pre-post questions for these modules) .
Module 6 Resource Page includes examples of One-Page Descriptions.
Activity
Please use the HCBS Planning Tool to complete the activity.
Discuss what the team has learned about the performance review process and discuss recommendations for moving forward.
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If you haven't already done so please use these links to access the tools.