(PS5-C53) Behavioral Health Education: A Professional Development Model to Enhance Quality of Care, Staff Satisfaction, and Employee Retention

Continuing education (CE) on evidence-based (EB) practice improves quality of care, patient safety and treatment outcomes (Neimeyer, et al., 2019). In 2016, our pediatric hospital initiated a Behavioral Health Education (BHEd) department. We hypothesized that implementing standardized, comprehensive, EB offerings would, in addition to advancing professional development, increase staff satisfaction, lead to improved employee retention, and create a recruitment incentive. In this quality improvement project, baseline employee retention and reasons for resignation data were gathered. Based on those data, initial interventions included increased number of CE offerings, improved new hire education in EB models, development of a preceptor program to improve onboarding for new hires, and streamlined training on the electronic health record. Over time, BHEd evolved to address training accessibility barriers (clinic/unit demands, productivity requirements, staffing schedules). In 2022, surveys were distributed to BH staff and leadership to obtain baseline data on attitudes, knowledge, practice change, and outcomes around BHEd offerings, based on Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation (1998). 91.4% of respondents agreed that BHEd trainings are time well spent; 85.5% believed trainings aid in professional development. 78.5% of respondents indicated that BHEd trainings increase job satisfaction; 89.7% found them to be a “perk” of working for the organization. 89.8% of respondents agreed that they are able to apply learned information to clinical practice; 83.7% believe that trainings help them achieve better results with patients and families. Continued accessibility challenges were also highlighted. 14.6% reported that trainings were not convenient to attend; 18% identified challenges with adjusting clinic or unit schedules. 20.5% and 24.8% of respondents, respectively, provided neutral responses to those two accessibility questions. BHEd implemented a new intervention to address these barriers. Clinician Education Days were scheduled 4 set days/year. Clinical staff can attend trainings in a conference-like format, with advanced notice of training dates and content so that schedules can be adjusted ahead of time. Staff can attend all or portions of the day, depending on availability and topic interest. All sessions are recorded and made available for on-demand access with available CE credits for those unable to attend in person. Sessions include a variety of topics informed by staff and leadership feedback. Evaluation forms were completed after each Clinician Education Day. 95.4% of participants reported that the training format was conducive to their work schedule; 81.8% stated that they plan to access at least one training on-demand at a later date.  All agreed that training content was relevant to their clinical work and will use what they learned in practice. Cost data will be presented, comparing BHEd staffing costs to average, external training costs for the same quantity of CEs per provider. Future directions include comparing baseline to current retention/resignation data and baseline to one-year follow-up staff and leadership BHEd surveys to assess change in impact, satisfaction, and accessibility.