UT-Harris County Psychiatric Center

Nursing Procedures

 

Agency Staff - Orientation and Evaluation

Hospital-Wide Education

Harris County Psychiatric Center: Office Administration

Agency licensed staff are required to show proof of licensure, CPR and PMC certification on arrival of work assignment

staffing, agency, contract, supplemental

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

 

Date of Last Review:  3/07

 

Supplemental staffing agency personnel are evaluated to ensure competency in the provision of quality patient care at UTHCPC.  Once selected, they are provided access to comprehensive orientation, policies and procedures, and evaluation of performance.

 

Procedure:

 

Orientation

 

The agency supplying contract personnel for nurse staffing purposes is furnished with a comprehensive Agency Orientation Manual.  This manual contains pertinent policies and procedures to assist in the orientation of employees scheduled to work at UTHCPC.  The agency, as part of their contractual obligation, orients the employees selected for UTHCPC.  Once the contract employee is engaged to work, the Nursing Supervisors Office also provides a copy of the general orientation overview prior to the first shift worked.

 

All supplemental staff personnel prominently display identification as distributed by their respective agencies.  Supplemental staffing personnel are invited to participate in in-service education programs offered at UTHCPC during their tenure.

 

Agency licensed staff are required to show proof of licensure, CPR and PMC certification on arrival of work assignment.

 

Evaluation

 

Evaluations are completed on agency staff after the first shift worked and randomly thereafter or as warranted.

 

The completed orientation form, checklist and evaluation form is placed in the agency employee personnel file which is kept in the Nursing Supervisor’s Office.  The Nursing Supervisor/Nursing staff provides guidance and feedback as needed throughout the shift to assist agency staff in performing assignments.  The Agency supervisor incorporates the evaluation information into the employee’s regularly scheduled evaluation.

 

The agency assumes ultimate responsibility for evaluating, counseling, and terminating agency staff members; however, the Nursing Supervisor reserves the right to send agency staff off duty if due cause exists.  UTHCPC also has the right to refuse to utilize agency staff whose previous performance has been deemed unacceptable as determined by the evaluation process.

 

Note:  It is unacceptable for a present UTHCPC employee to work at this hospital as a supplemental staff member through an agency.  Nurses previously employed by UTHCPC are eligible for agency assignment to UTHCPC after six months.

 

Related Standards: