The S.A.F.E. Approach™ is an exciting training program designed specifically for those in the healthcare field where the effective use of verbal and non-verbal communication skills can reduce the risk of negative or violent encounters with patients, visitors and co-workers.
The S.A.F.E. Approach offers nursing contact hours for Levels I, II, & III. This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the Midwest Multistate Division, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
At the heart of The S.A.F.E. Approach is the concept of recognizing potentially hazardous situations and mitigating their impact, all while treating individuals with dignity and respect – a key component. We know that compassion, empathy and a comprehensive understanding of human behavior can resolve or even prevent most conflicts. It’s only on rare occasion that an individual must resort to some form of defensive posture or response, but it’s this key component of our training that separates The S.A.F.E. Approach from many others: our simple, effective and easy to remember methods for enhancing personal safety.
The S.A.F.E. Approach offers nursing contact hours for Levels I, II, & III. This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the Midwest Multistate Division, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
We are fully aware of the demands placed on staff member’s time. Every moment spent in training is time away from their ever important tasks. Therefore, our goal is to effectively train your staff, do so in a timely manner, and provide you with peace of mind knowing that your co-workers have the tools necessary to make sound competent decisions.
As you’ll notice, testing is an important component at each level. In order for the organization and The S.A.F.E. Approach to validate the learning process, each participant is tested on key information contained in their training. While not extremely difficult, this testing provides important feedback to the instructor and the organization as to the quality of instruction and materials and provides important feedback to administrators. Additionally, all students in Level II and Level III training receive handouts that are theirs to keep. This ensures that participants are afforded the opportunity to refer back to the techniques they have learned as needed.
There are generally three levels of training using The S.A.F.E. Approach method;
Level I (2 hours of CEU credit provided.)
Level I is a 2-hour block of instruction designed for those staff members who rarely, if ever, have care responsibility of patients. These individuals usually include office staff, phone operators, maintenance workers, housekeeping, food services, etc.
Level I Online (2 hours of CEU credit provided.)
An alternative we offer to classroom training is a customized computer-based training module designed for your organization’s in-house Learning Management System. This method saves valuable resources as the employee may simply take the course while sitting at their workstation or anywhere computer training normally takes place, and takes approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Level I training includes topic such as:
- Customer Service
- Interpersonal Communication
- Safety Awareness, and
- Recognizing and Diffusing Conflict and Aggression
Level II (4 hours of CEU credit provided.)
Level II instruction is designed for those staff members who have responsibilities that include frequent patient contact. These individuals would include doctors, nurses, aides, technicians and others. Level II training includes Level I topics and adds two additional hours of instruction, for a total of four hours of training.
Many of the topics covered in Level II are taught in Level I. However, this level has the added component of Personal Safety Measures. We instruct the participant on how to protect themselves and potentially those around them before, during or after there has been a failure in communication.
Level II training includes topics such as:
• Customer Service
• Interpersonal Communication
• Recognizing and Diffusing Conflict and Aggression
• Personal Safety Measures including:
– How to avoid being trapped in a room
– Planning for escape as a matter of routine, before it’s too late
– How to quickly and effectively escape when you are hit, grabbed, knocked to the ground or in some way physically assaulted
We routinely receive positive feedback on this training. Not only do the participants often express their gratitude for the knowledge they receive, but they also appreciate their employer affording them this opportunity.
Level III (8 hours of CEU credit provided.)
Includes Level I and II with four additional hours added (8 hours, total) designed for those staff members who may or may not have frequent patient contact; however, they are often tasked with controlling and/or stabilizing disruptive or violent persons. Depending on your facility, these individuals may include both medical and non-medical staff members. This task may not only be hazardous for the patient and staff member, but it can open the organization to significant legal exposure if not performed and documented correctly. This training is especially important if your facility is confronted with situations involving trauma, mental illness, the elderly or drug and alcohol abuse.
Level III training encompasses all of the topics taught in Level II, but with the added component of restraint. One key component of this training is the team approach. Rather than rushing in with either no plan or a rather weak plan, we show participants how and why a careful, coordinated approach – utilizing proper communication and physical technique – will result in a successful restraint with minimal injury and complaint.
Refresher training in The S.A.F.E. Approach method for Level II employees is easy and consists of computer based training modules (where such systems exist) or short classroom sessions annually. Level III consists of a 4-hour annual classroom session. The Refresher includes curriculum and legal updates that may affect the employee or the organization.
Instructors are certified for three years providing they teach a minimum of 24 hours per year. Recertification involves attending a 2 day, 16 hour course. When significant changes occur in the law or in procedure, trainers are provided with course updates as needed.
The S.A.F.E. Approach program is designed for simple and effective management. There are no cards or manuals to be purchased. All materials are included in the quoted rate.
The S.A.F.E. Approach program provides training in one of two methods:
- The healthcare organization selects personnel from within the institution to become certified trainers via our “Train-the-Trainer” program, or
- The S.A.F.E. Approach provides the training cadre to instruct in the Levels you choose.
TRAIN-THE-TRAINER
Many larger facilities have qualified personnel that are proficient in instructing their staff. Based on this fact, some clients may choose to have us train these individuals as instructors. Often, depending on the number of staff members trained, this can be a cost saving measure on large scale training endeavors.
When this option is chosen, we provide three days of intensive onsite training during our “Train-the-Trainer” course. Participants are not only taught the exceptional principles of The S.A.F.E. Approach method, but are also provided coaching in quality instructor presentation techniques. Students selected for this course should desire and be able to teach all aspects of the program, including Level III.
At the successful completion of our “Train-the-Trainer” course, each instructor will receive:
- A certificate of completion
- A comprehensive training notebook. This book not only covers the material they learn in class, but also provides the necessary individual sections to train Level I, Level II or Level III. This manual also contains quality photographs detailing the defensive or restraint methods as demonstrated in class and taught in Levels II and III.
- A compact disc or electronic file complete with all course and administrative materials needed to conduct the various levels of training. This includes participant manuals that the organization may choose to print themselves as an added cost saving measure.
THE S.A.F.E. APPROACH TRAINERS
When organizations choose to use instructors provided by S.A.F.E. Approach, we provide qualified, compassionate Subject Matter Experts who not only care about the material, but are passionate about how we view and treat others. Our instructors will train any number of employees as predetermined by our client.
Participants in Level II and Level III training will receive student manuals complete with photographs of the techniques demonstrated and practiced in class. Additionally, upon successful completion of the course, students will receive a certificate of completion. Certificates are available for Level I training. This can be further discussed with the client. The sheer volume of participants may preclude this from being a necessity.
Welcome to The S.A.F.E. Approach Online learning page. Our online learning program is designed so that busy healthcare professionals can receive valuable training right from their desktop computer. Our program covers these important topics:
- Workplace Violence
- Interpersonal Communication
- Safety Awareness
- Recognizing and Diffusing Conflict and Aggression
Contact us to learn more on how you can bring this program to your organization!
View our 90-second Level I Online overview, below.
“I enjoyed this course. The variation between methods of learning kept things moving. It was evident that the instructors are passionate about what they teach, which I believe has a large positive impact on the course and how the information is received by us.”
“Instructors were amazing!”
“The skits and role playing activities were very helpful.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by how much I gained from the tools presented in this course.”
“…class was really great because it developed safety and communication skills that will be very useful on and off the job – just useful skills for life.”
“All materials were high quality.”
“I really enjoyed this training and hopefully this could be repetitive training every two or three years with new safety regulations.”
