Top Children’s Hospital

SilkRoad Learning Supports Safe Move of Top Children’s Hospital

Named as one of the top ten children’s hospitals by U.S. News and World Report in 2014, this healthcare organization provides superior care for children of all ages.

When the hospital decided to move out of its 130-year old building and into a new facility, executives realized that training would become a top priority to ensure a smooth, safe transition. More than double the size of the old facility, the new hospital featured a different design, layout and configuration, which meant each employee had to learn floor plans, new equipment and more. Dubbed “Moment One,” the move transformed both the hospital and the training program.

Training Metamorphosis

Prior to the move, each department determined what training was necessary. The move changed this process. “We became the ‘navigators’ of all training related to the move,” said a hospital project manager. “It transformed how we worked as a department, with hospital leadership and with the organization.”

New Learning Management System

The project management team began to plan for Moment One by assessing automation needs. With the extensive scope of the training needed, they realized that a highly flexible, modular learning system was needed. SilkRoad Learning was selected due to its support of multiple training components and customizable reporting.

Process and Communication Essential

With the system identified, the team now began the important process of aligning needs and scope. “We met with our leaders and held focus groups to define project assumptions and concerns,” explained a representative. “It helped to gain trust, scope out who gets trained and define the budget.”

Two key focal points emerged:

• Use of an orientation workflow for first day readiness
• Help with budgeting and planning to balance training and patient/care needs

An education liaison from each department worked with the training team. “It was the perfect combination of department and education expertise,” explained a project manager. “Communication was huge. We shared information everywhere, using multiple forums and multiple types of media.”

Flexible and Modular Plan Design—3,900 Employees, Tight Timeframe

To put the training in context, it was structured around a “day in the life” of each department. The training team then built 2-4 hour training paths and an employee-training checklist. “It was centered on SilkRoad Learning,” said a representative. “With its modular structure, we were able to create 6 learning paths instead of 60, which was much more efficient. Since there was time for only one rollout and test, this simplicity was incredibly important.”

Readiness Assessment

After the training, each employee completed a readiness survey to assess comfort level. “SilkRoad Learning’s sequencing feature really helped in this area. Based on an employee’s responses, specific resources were provided to address any issues,” described a team member. “For example, if an employee was not comfortable with a floor layout, resources related to that training would come up.” Through the readiness assessment and reporting, accountability was strong. “Our leaders could track status on the reports. We were also able to brand the Moment One reports in SilkRoad Learning so our leaders knew immediately what they were looking at.”

95% Training Completion

Through this program, the training department achieved its highest participation ever with 95% employee completion. On move day, 127 patients were safely transported with zero safety issues. “The success of this program transformed training,” said a project manager. “It was a rebirth.”

The healthcare organization and SilkRoad also won a Brandon Hall Excellence award for the Best Advance in Learning Technology Implementation.