Ken Hollis, PACS Administrator

Developing PACS Literacy


The "trainer coach" approach to staff training

By October 2000, the PACS equipment was nearly installed and the hospital was ready to begin training. The goal was to Go Live via a rolling phase-in starting in late November with CT and MRI.

The GE Consultant advised a Master Trainer approach that focused on developing skills in select individuals from the modalities, These "trainer coaches" would then transfer their knowledge to other users - excluding radiologists who were trained directly by a GE Applications Specialist or the PACS Manager.

"The training was intense," says Jeremy Walls, RT, (R)(MR). "Three days, eight hours a day. It wasn't that the equipment was difficult. It's fairly simple, actually. But the GE people wanted to make sure we knew everything, inside and out."

The Master Trainers were then dispatched in teams of two to begin training the rest of the staff. After two weeks of team teaching, the Master Trainers went solo.

"Within a week, a new radiologist is comfortable with the system."

Highlights

Developing PACS Literacy

Other highlights of the training program:

  • “PACS 101” sessions for the entire radiology department, including non-users. “We didn’t leave anybody in the dark. Even if they weren’t going to touch the equipment, we wanted them to know how it would impact their lives,” says Lori Patterson, PACS Manager .
  • PACS Training Room near the physicians’ entrance, staffed with Master Trainers for two months.
  • “Quick Tips” flyers for doctors and nurses.
  • Go-Live support with Master Trainers assigned to each radiologist and on-site assistance from a GE Applications Specialist, PACS Consultant, and Field Engineer.
  • For the first week of Go-Live, a GE Applications Specialist, PACS Consultant, and Field Engineer were all at the hospital.
  • Ongoing training for new physicians and staff.