Quality Focused Education

Quality-focused education is an important tool in your commitment to improve quality in long term care. The FHCA Quality Foundation is proud to offer the Lyn Bodiford Quality Improvement Scholarship Fund to FHCA members interested in attending one of these programs. Our specialty education programs that take quality improvement in long term care and break it down are:

Quality Improvement Certification Program
Radiating Excellence
Lynn Bodiford Quality Improvement Scholarship Fund

Quality Improvement Certification Program

The 2-day "Quality 101" Quality Improvement Certification Course developed in partnership with the FHCA Quality Credentialing Foundation and the University of South Florida's Center on Aging has been a wonderful success and is in keeping with the FHCA Professional Development Committee’s mission to be anticipatory of the changing needs of our profession. The certification program was met with such demand that we had to increase attendee spaces to make room for all who were interested! Participants receive a hands on opportunity to apply skills and knowledge and make data come alive in a meaningful team centered way. Participants are challenged to create their own nursing home, complete with a Name, Mission, Vision, and Strategic Quality Plan. Group interactive exercises prepare them to use data as obtained from the FHCA Self Assessment Tool, Survey History, QI/QM and other key information sources to identify problems, establish quality goals, and drive positive outcome. The 2-day certification is being offered quarterly at different sites around the State.

This QI certification course will tie in to scheduled Risk Centered Risk Management seminars to be held Statewide the first of the year. In addition, USF will provide a special offer for participants that attend the certification course and the Risk Management seminars. Participants that pursue the USF online Risk Management licensure course will be given course credits and a reduced rate.

Radiating Excellence

Florida Health Care Association partnered with the American Health Care Association in 2003 to bring "Radiating Excellence" training to Florida for our nurse leaders in long term care with the training provided quarterly in different areas of the state. Nurse leadership is an integral part of delivering quality care in the long term care profession. Senior nurse leaders are the linchpins that connect staff, residents, families, and resources to consistently deliver quality care. Radiating Excellence is a training program focused on the assessment of the specific leadership roles and competencies essential to nurse leaders working in skilled nursing, assisted living, and residential care facilities for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled. The experience provided will enable nurse leaders to benchmark their leadership skill proficiency and create a "map" to guide professional development.

Workshop Goals
Participants completing this program will be able to:

1. Describe the benefits of the nurse leader self-assessment system;
    
2. Identify the seven leadership roles and competencies for exceptional nurse leadership;
    
3. Integrate the leadership roles and competencies into the assessment instrument;
    
4. Practice methods of gathering data and documenting objective data for assessment;
    
5. Link the objective data to performance measures;
    
6. Complete a personal and confidential leadership self-assessment profile; and
    
7. Design a personal action plan to leadership performance improvement.

Lynn Bodiford Quality Improvement Scholarship Fund

Established in August 2004, the Lyn Bodiford Scholarship program is sponsored and administered by the Florida Health Care Association's Quality Credentialing Foundation. The Lyn Bodiford Scholarship Program will award scholarships to nursing home staff who have demonstrated mentoring need, long term care commitment, and leadership potential. In honor and remembrance of Lyn Bodiford's passionate work on behalf of the elderly and disabled in Florida's long term care facilities, the Fund was established in August 2004 to provide resources for nursing home facility staff to be trained in Quality Improvement best practices through the education provided by the Florida Health Care Association. The Lyn Bodiford Scholarship Program honors the memory of the late Lyn Bodiford, who among many accomplishments was a visionary, a unifying force, an inspiring leader with the Florida AARP and public servant.

For the details regarding the next quality-focused education program, visit our Calendar of Events.