A Deeper Look for HR Leaders at Certifications, Credentials, and Accreditations
In the busy hallways of children’s hospitals, where you’ll hear the voices of young patients and the soft hum of life-saving machines, compliance is the invisible foundation that holds everything together.
It’s the silent promise providers make to parents and family members as they are entrusted with the most precious gift—a child. In healthcare, where every decision has a life-changing impact, workforce compliance is not just a task; it’s a mission. And for those who choose this vital, high-stakes profession, it’s a mission filled with challenges and profound rewards.
The Importance of Workforce Compliance
Protecting Vulnerable Populations
Children are not just smaller versions of adults; they are a world of their own, needing special medical care and attention.
Workforce compliance ensures that every caregiver is qualified and up-to-date on all requirements for patient care – safeguarding the lives of the youngest of patients. It’s about creating a safe place where people can trust that every procedure or patient interaction is handled with the utmost care.
Children can’t advocate for themselves, so it falls on us—healthcare professionals, parents, and communities—to be their voice, ensuring their unique needs are met with the highest standards of care and protection.
Legal and Ethical Responsibilities
In the arena of children’s healthcare, the stakes are high. Healthcare providers must follow strict legal and ethical rules to avoid malpractice risks and ensure the best care, and workforce compliance must ensure all caregivers are properly licensed at all times.
Non-compliance is not an option. It can lead to serious legal implications, monetary penalties, and a bad reputation. In this arena, precision and integrity are everything.
Building Trust with Families
When parents walk through the doors of a children’s hospital, they are placing their faith in you. They expect nothing less than excellence. Workforce compliance is the foundation of that trust. It reassures families on the scariest and happiest days of their lives that their children are in capable, caring hands.
In other words, it’s not just about meeting standards; it’s about exceeding expectations and building a legacy of trust within the community.
The Challenges
Frequent Updates in Regulations
Regulatory bodies consistently update standards and guidelines for pediatric care, reflecting the latest advancements and best practices. Keeping up with these changes demands continuous education and training for healthcare providers and HR professionals, ensuring they remain well-informed and compliant with the latest requirements.
Coordination Across Multiple Departments
Children’s hospitals typically encompass various specialized departments, such as neonatal and pediatric oncology, that must collaborate seamlessly to deliver comprehensive care. Ensuring workforce compliance across these diverse departments presents a significant challenge for HR teams, requiring meticulous coordination and oversight across the organization.
Complexity of Pediatric Care
Pediatric care involves a higher degree of complexity and specialization compared to adult care. This intricacy demands extra compliance measures to ensure that every medical practice and procedure is precisely tailored to the unique needs of children. In fact, many aspects of pediatric care require healthcare professionals to undergo specialized training and obtain pediatric-specific certifications.
Pediatric-Specific Certifications and Credentials*
Licensed professionals working in children’s hospitals are often required to obtain specialized credentials related to pediatric care, either before employment or within a certain time frame from their hire date. Depending on the state, these credentials may involve specialized licenses or additional certifications layered on top of existing qualifications. These credentials are critical for HR teams to monitor for workforce compliance, ensuring staff meet the necessary requirements for providing safe and effective care.
The certifications we will talk about below can be issued in a number of different ways, including with paper cards, e-cards, and through the RQI (Resuscitation Quality Improvement) program, and need to be tracked for expiration. They are typically audited by accrediting bodies such as The Joint Commission and DNV.
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
In the world of pediatric emergencies, PALS certification is a lifeline. It ensures that healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children, and emergency personnel, are prepared to handle the most critical situations involving respiratory emergencies, shock, and cardiopulmonary arrest with expertise and confidence.
This certification prepares healthcare providers to effectively recognize and intervene in these life-threatening situations. PALS certification is most commonly issued by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
The American Academy of Pediatrics NRP certification is the cornerstone for those in neonatal units, equipping them for immediate care and resuscitation of newborns, particularly those who are born preterm, have health complications, or require emergency intervention.
For emergencies involving the tiniest of patients, it’s about being ready, always, for crucial interventions like airway management, ventilation, and chest compressions.
The NRP is jointly sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics in collaboration with the American Heart Association.
Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition, and Stabilization (PEARS)
PEARS certification is vital for healthcare providers to recognize and stabilize pediatric patients in emergency situations – especially those who may not routinely work in pediatric critical care but are expected to assess and manage pediatric emergencies until more advanced care can be provided.
The American Heart Association is the primary organization that offers the PEARS certification, and it is generally valid for two years.
Popular Accreditations and Certifications for Children’s Hospitals
While the above credentials are specific to licensed professionals, there are accreditations and certifications that are important for children’s hospitals themselves. These help signal to potential patients and families that a hospital and its programs offer high-quality care. Workforce compliance is an essential component of obtaining and maintaining these recognitions. Here are some examples.
Magnet Recognition Program
Hospitals that earn Magnet status are recognized for their excellence in nursing and patient care, as designated by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). For children’s hospitals, this recognition underscores a dedication to specialized pediatric nursing practices and outstanding patient outcomes. Hospitals must reapply for Magnet recognition every four years.
Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
This is the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to a rehabilitation program and is considered the gold standard. For children’s hospitals, achieving this accreditation signals the quality and commitment to providing comprehensive and highly skilled rehabilitation care in pediatrics. Many children’s hospitals, including Riley Children’s, Driscoll Children’s, and Children’s Hospital New Orleans, proudly display their CARF accreditation on their websites.
Joint Commission’s Certification for Pediatric Asthma
The Joint Commission accredits 85% of the Children’s Hospitals in the U.S., and in addition to hospital accreditation, they also offer specialized certifications – including one for disease-specific care in Pediatric Asthma. Achieving this certification is a testament to a hospital’s commitment to managing and treating pediatric asthma with excellent, evidence-based care. This certification has several components, often including on-site surveys similar to those done during accreditation.
The Wrap Up
Children’s hospitals are the heartbeats of our communities, where the stakes are high, and the mission is clear: protect, heal, and nurture our youngest and most vulnerable patients. For HR teams in these hospitals, their commitment to workforce compliance is key to making that mission a reality.
EverCheck by Propelus is dedicated to making it easier for children’s hospitals to uphold these workforce compliance standards with easy-to-use software. With unparalleled access to more than 8,300 types of licenses, certifications, registrations, sanctions, and exclusions, EverCheck ensures professionals are compliant and safe to work with the most vulnerable patients.
Additionally, collecting certifications and credentials – like PALS, NRP and PEARS – is made easy with the choice to use our employee-facing portal, EverCheck Wallet. HR leaders can also ensure total compliance for specific job roles, including licenses and certifications required, using EverCheck Positions Manager.
Let’s build a future where workforce compliance supports safer patient care, especially for the youngest among us.
