What strategies could be used?

Each clinical setting is unique. Strategies that will work in your environment can be used to design your interventions based on suggested options from the Champions.

Build Strategies Based on Strengths Within Your Organization

Institutional-specific intervention methods or strategies used by Champion Teams to increase nursing awareness, competency, integration and utilization of genomic information in nursing healthcare delivery are recommended. Because assets and needs are so unique to each setting, not all strategies work equally well. Designing the intervention for your organization requires consideration of potential options that will build on the strengths within your institutional environment.

In this section, let’s look at:

Items to Consider
Examples of what other organizations have done
Implementation of strategies

Items to Consider

Scope of intervention-how big or small is the target audience for the intervention?
Targeted audience-what is the knowledge level and gaps within your audience?
Existing resources-are there resources already available or does your team have the capacity to create something specific to your organization’s needs?
Potential themes for guiding plans-are there special months/days (i.e., colon cancer awareness day) or special topics your organization already celebrates and could add genetic and genomic information to those educational events?
Potential incentives-are there ways your organization could recognize staff participation in the intervention encouraging them to participate?

There are varied staff development options for your consideration that were successfully utilized by educators and administrators involved in the Method for Introducing a New Competency: Genomics (MINC) into Nursing Practice study.

Examples from Other Organizations

Journal Clubs: gather for reviews of articles focused on genetic or genomic topics
- Poster Fair: hold a contest for the best poster focused on a special theme.
  OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center: Call for Posters
- DNA DAY-celebration: National DNA Day is a unique day when students, teachers and the public can learn more about genetics and genomics! The day commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003, and the discovery of DNA's double helix in 1953.
  Fox Chase PA: DNA Day
- DNA Cookies or gummy bears-provide specialty foods to increase awareness of interventions.
  Avera McKennan Hospital: Kickoff
  Avera McKennan Hospital: Marketing Ideas
- Create a time for the initiative such as Year of the Gene or Nurses Week
- February Heart Health Poster
  Akron Childrens: Gene Scene Heart
- National Family History Day
  Hunterdon Healthcare: National Family History Day
- National Stroke Month
  Texas Health Presbyterian: National Stroke Awareness Month (May)
Offer Mandatory or Optional Educational Offerings using varied methodologies
- Webcasts
- Inservices
- Grand Rounds
- Health Stream/Halogen
- CE Offerings-classes
- Lectures/symposiums
Include in Annual Competencies Events
- Competency Fairs
  Avera McKennan Hospital: Skills Fair
  Avera McKennan Hospital: Skills Fair Flyer
Incorporate genetic and genomic topics into Conference Presentations
- Evidence Based Practice
  Avera McKennan Hospital MINC - Evidence Based Practice
  Fox Chase PA: Pharmacogenomics and Evidence-Based Practice Module
- Ethics
  Beaumont Health System: Genetics & Genomics Ethical Legal Issues
- Quality Improvement
- Research
  Hunterdon Healthcare: Research Day
Bulletins/Newsletters
- Gene splash (South Shore)
- Gene Strand (Central DePage)
  Central DuPage Hospital: Genetics Monthly Education January
  Central DuPage Hospital: Genetics Monthly Education February
Games
- Crossword Puzzles (Texas Health & Providence St Vincent)
  Texas Health Presbyterian: Genomics Crossword Puzzle
  Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Genetics Crossword
- Genetic Jeopardy (Central DePage)
- Wheel of Genetics

Implementation of Strategies

Once strategies are selected, communication of the plans are important to help all staff to be aware of the opportunity or requirement to participate in the event(s). Take advantage of already existing committees or communication methods to highlight the availability of resources and events.
Several of the MINC Champion Teams utilized awareness campaigns to gain momentum highlighting the value of genomics for patient care. Two teams created a logo to be used as part of their branding of all messages and events sponsored for this initiative.
Mobilize members of the Steering Committee or select others as an implementation team. Consideration of bringing others in for assistance such as the marketing group within your setting may help bring new ideas to the group to improve outreach and attendance. The potential for taping live events for web access if available may help expand the audience reached by all your hard work.
Conduct planned programming. Attention to details such as when, where, and how the educational event will be offered requires organization skills.
Recognition of staff who attend or contribute to planned events or resources may help increase their interest and participation in achieving genomic competency. Consider building the competency expectations into career ladder expectations or award recognition. Such incentives show the value by leadership of this initiative.