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Essentials for New Emergency Nurses: The ENA Clinical Novice Pathway

October 14th, 2024
October 14th, 2024

Successfully orienting new nurses to your emergency department (ED) is critically important, but it can be a daunting task. How can leaders maximize that orientation time to effectively onboard new nurses and prepare them for the ED environment while ensuring patient safety?

A recent HealthStream webinar titled, “Essentials for New Emergency Nurses: The ENA Clinical Novice Pathway,” discussed strategies to equip ED nurses to provide high-quality patient care while minimizing liability and error. The webinar was moderated by HealthStream’s Raegan Phillips, marketing coordinator and featured Monica Escalante-Kolbuk, MSN, RN, CEN, who is the director, Novice Nurse Education Programs for the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA).

The Importance of a Structured Orientation

Escalante-Kolbuk believes that structure is essential to a successful ED new hire orientation, and there is an abundance of literature to support this position. Structure helps to ensure that the orientation is comprehensive enough to prepare nurses so they can thrive in the stressful and fast-paced environment of the ED. Escalante-Kolbuk encouraged leaders to cover policies, procedures, safety protocols, and emergency care practices in their ED new employee orientations. This approach can help new nurses quickly adapt to the ED environment and help them to enhance their clinical skills and reduce their chances of causing clinical errors. Ultimately, implementing this type of approach has a direct impact on the quality of care and allows for risk reduction.

It is also worth noting that a structured orientation can build nurse confidence, make the ED a more collaborative environment, and reduce potential nurse burnout. All of these factors can help improve nurse retention, which is an important goal for hospital leaders.

ENA’s Novice Pathway

The ENA has a continuing education program for new ED nurses called the Novice Pathway. It provides foundational knowledge and initial competencies in caring for pediatric, adult, and geriatric emergency department patients. The education package has clinical modules grouped into three different categories:

  • Clinical Content – This includes modules on trauma, geriatrics, adult behavioral health, the Emergency Severity Index 2.0, among other topics.
  • Professional Content – Structural racism in healthcare and an “In Case of Emergency” study guide are included in this module.
  • Well-Being Content – The content covered in this section is related to workplace violence prevention, self-assessment for stress and burnout, and healthy coping mechanisms.

“This content supports the new nurse in developing their clinical skills and personal resilience, and helps them to excel in their new role,” said Escalante-Kolbuk.

Using Online Learning Modules Effectively

The ENA developed their online learning modules so that nurses could choose courses they would like to complete first. The digital courseware is intended to be flexible and accessible. Nurses can learn at their own pace and access the content in interactive ways that improve engagement and learning outcomes.

The courses have also been designed to engage various types of adult learners. Instructional techniques such as self-paced learning help new nurses absorb complex concepts and revisit challenges identified by assessments. Interactive elements, such as simulation scenarios, quizzes, and multimedia resources, were created to make the content both engaging and memorable.

In addition, the coursework encourages an often-neglected element – reflective practice. This process of thinking helps nurses apply theoretical knowledge to real-life scenarios. Taking the time to reflect on their experiences and decisions helps learners better understand their strengths and any areas where they need to make improvements.  

Applying Digital Coursework in Onboarding and Strategies to Enhance Use

Escalante-Kolbuk acknowledged that it may be challenging to impose discipline and structure into self-paced learning. However, nurses can be encouraged to:

  • Set regular study schedules that can be as short as 15-20 minutes per day
  • Break down the content into small segments
  • Set goals along the way

Each of these practices can help nurses enhance their retention of the content, stay on track with deadlines and course completion, and ensure their effectiveness as nurses.

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