TO: Ballad Health All
FROM: Lisa Smithgall, PhD, Senior Vice President/Chief Nursing Executive
DATE: March 19, 2020
RE: Team member attendance expectation for scheduled clinical education and organizational development classes
As Ballad Health continues its work to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), all ongoing clinical education, organizational development and American Heart Association Training Center courses will continue as scheduled, to ensure competency, regulatory compliance and individual team member-required education and orientation.
Attendance at scheduled education courses for team members is considered the same as the evaluation of team members’ health status for scheduled work shifts. Team members who are ill or have a fever will not be permitted to attend educational classes, in the same manner as they would not be permitted to work in their primary work location.
At the beginning of each Ballad Health educational class, the class instructor will complete the team member screening for course attendees including assessment of travel history and presence of cough, sore throat and fever, documenting the information for class attendees on the team member form. TEMPA●dot thermometer strips will be used to assess class attendees reporting a fever within the last 24 hours to determine if a fever remains.
Team members with seasonal allergy-related coughs or sore throats without a fever will be permitted to remain in class. It is the expectation that team members with cough and sore throat symptoms, but no fever, will remain in the scheduled clinical education/organizational development class and maintain social distancing by physically sitting and standing more than three feet from others, and they will cover coughs appropriately when they occur.
Team members with a cough or sore throat with or without a fever not related to known seasonal allergies will NOT be permitted to participate in any AHA courses with manikin use.
Team members who are ill should communicate to clinical education, organizational development and/or the AHA Training Center 24 hours in advance, if possible, that they are not able to attend class as scheduled. This allows the system to offer the class opening to other team members on the waiting list.
If team members become ill less than 24 hours prior to the class, please communicate the absence as soon as possible. Team members with legitimate illness will not be charged for class absence. We trust all Ballad Health team members will be accountable for appropriately representing an illness absence.
Team members unable to attend the AHA Training Center BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP courses as scheduled prior to course expiration because of legitimate illness, and who subsequently have their current credential expire, will need to enroll in the next scheduled course. They will be able to continue to work pending certification completion. The expectation for team members to schedule and complete the AHA training course required for their role prior to expiration remains as per current policy for all Ballad Health team members.
Class attendance for all system education classes at times might exceed 10 people. All Ballad Health team members are encouraged to adhere to the social distancing goal of more than three feet whenever possible when choosing seating and interactions with in the class.
