Month: May 2026

Nearly a decade ago I went to school to become a Licensed Practicing Nurse(LPN). It was a pathway to a much-needed career change.  It involved a thirteen-month program where I trained to become a nurse. It was months of classwork and trainings on various procedures as well as test taking skills. The goal of the program.. train the students to be competent and safe nurses that could pass the NCLEX exam.

The school utilized a check-offs system. We received training on a certain procedure and then we had to perform said procedure on a manikin while pretending it was an actual patient. We, the students, had to be successfully “checked-off” before we could perform any of the skills in the clinic setting on actual patient.

I’ll never forget feeling more unprepared then when I took my first nursing job. I felt so under prepared because most of my training had been on a manikin or during my short preceptorship.

The worse onboard/training I received was at my first nursing job. I had done my preceptorship at this facility and was assured that I would still received a solid 30 days of onboarding and training; however, that was not the case. I think I was running my own floor within a weak.  Certainly not ideal for a new nurse and/or patients.  I training on the go. Though I learned a lot from this experience it was awful.  

It wasn’t until a couple years later; I was hired at a different company where the on-boarding process took several months to allow for appropriate training. It was not until this new position I realized the value of good training and appropriate onboarding because I didn’t know what that looked like.

In nursing training is vital to safe patient care. If a nurse can’t place a catheter properly or change a dressing properly, they are putting their patient at risk for infection and an adverse event.

As the article “Your New Hires Wont Succeed Unless you Onboard them Properly” explains that onboarding supports new hires through social and professional support which not only helps the new hire feel welcome and supported but reduces new hire turn over.  The article references a study that 17% of new hires are lost during their first 90 days (Ellis et al., 2017) highlighting the importance of appropriate onboarding and training.  The article also states that appropriate onboarding improves skills, knowledge and job satisfaction which leads to measurable improvements like profit growth (Ellis et al., 2017). In nursing this could mean better patient outcomes. For example, fever infections.

Personally, I can attest to the importance of appropriate onboarding and training as in the healthcare setting it can positively and/or negatively impact patient outcomes.   If nurses are not trained properly, patients health is in jeopardy and organizations risk losing good nurses. 

The best training I ever received was hands on training under the supervision of a qualified preceptor.  The worst training I received was training in the Skill Setting where I was not given my full 30 days of training before running the floor alone.   The best training involved watching and then performing the skills under careful supervision before I was allowed to care for patients without a preceptor. I felt empowered, valued, and prepared to provide safe and quality patient care.

Ultimately, training and onboarding are very important and valuable.  

Ellis, A., Nifadkar, S. T. N. B., and Berrin Erdogan, Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2017). Your New Hires Won’t Succeed Unless You Onboard Them Properly.

Test Results

I took two of the tests on the Harvard University Project Implicit website. I will be honest; I was a bit surprised and if I am being honest, frustrated with my results. The first test’s topic was transgender. According to the results, I was much faster sorting “Transgender People” with “bad words” and “Cisgender People” with “good words.” I also took the test about weight, and my results showed that I was much faster sorting “thin people” with “good words.” I assume these results hint at my own implicit bias and that I associate cisgender individuals and thin people with “good” however, I am not sure I entirely agree with these results.

When I logged on to the website, I initially thought I had to take all the tests, so I started with the transgender test. I was not really sure what to expect, other than I did expect the test to show a bit of bias, just not the level of bias the test seems to imply. I am not sure I completely agree with the test because the design felt a bit cumbersome. There was a pattern for the first four sections, so I could almost predict the word association pattern; however, in the final three sections, the predictability changed and, to me, it was a bit harder. I wonder if the test were to reverse the progression for the questions and word associations, if the results would be the same.

Being that I was surprised by my results, I decided I would try to take another test, so I took the test about weight. The progression was the same and, around the fourth part of the test, it felt very cumbersome again. It felt like the test was almost rigged, which is why I struggle a bit with the results. Perhaps I just struggle because I am not wanting to accept that I am not more immune to implicit bias.

How to Combat Implicit Bias

I am a pretty open-minded person and try my hardest not to have implicit bias, though I know I do. I try not to see color, race, or size when choosing friends or acquaintances. I am also required to take training on a yearly basis as a condition of my employment. Each year, the training is a good refresher about drawing conclusions based on implicit bias or how to stop them before they progress further. This skill set is extremely important in my workplace, as I work as a nurse and help take care of people from all backgrounds.

I have learned that the best way to combat implicit bias is to acknowledge that it exists and learn how to recognize it and reframe my thought process or “knee-jerk reactions” before they progress too far. The Be Better Blog about implicit bias has a similar take, stating that working through implicit bias is like having to break a bad habit. The blog highlights that the best way to combat implicit bias is to do the work and that having awareness alone is not enough (Chang, 2024). One has to be mindful of their thought processes and assumptions, as well as broaden their perspective. Essentially, the Be Better Blog says combating implicit bias requires one to be committed to change and persistence. It starts at the individual level but must also take place through workplace training and at the organizational level by holding individuals accountable and changing the implicit bias narrative (Chang, 2024).

Organizations can combat implicit bias by designing a recruitment process that mitigates bias through a structure interview process and adequate training for those conducting the interviews.  It is important to mitigate bias as much as possible as it can impact reliability or validity of the selection process. If individuals are making decision solely on their on individual bias or implicit bias, the best candidate may be selected for reasons that do not reflect their qualifications or abilities to do their job; therefore, it is extremely important that at the organizational level there is a commitment to combating implicit bias through accountability and change.

Chang, C. (2024, December 30). Understanding implicit bias-and how to work through it. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Be Better Blog. https://bhgrecareer.com/bebetterblog/implicit-bias/

I have only sat through a handful of interviews in my life. Most of the interviews that I have been a part of are a direct result of my nursing license. I had to interview to get into nursing school, and I have gone through several panel interviews for various nursing jobs. All of the interviews asked questions regarding leadership, critical thinking, time management, organization, and teamwork skills. Some interviews have been better than others, but I can honestly say I have learned something new in each one. No interview is the same, but the general structure and concept behind the questions are very similar. Ultimately, I think all the interviews I have participated in, as the interviewee or interviewer, were effective due to the reliability and validity of the interview design and implementation.

As the interviewee, I always expect questions that are designed to determine if I can effectively perform my job as a nurse and if there are any red flags about my skills and abilities. However, it was not until I was on the other side of the interview that I realized there is a lot more that goes into the interview process than just a group of individuals gathering together for a series of questions.

Through my capstone and its job shadow hours, I have had the opportunity to shadow several managers. Each interview follows the structure discussed in this week’s lectures. The general design of the interviews is consistent across departments; they all are panel interviews with a series of questions as well as time at the end for questions. The questions are different between departments and managers, but for a specific job listing, the interview questions are consistently the same. I had one manager go as far as reminding all those participating that if any question were asked “off-script,” we would need to record the question asked and then be sure to ask it to the next candidate. After reviewing this week’s material, I understand why this is so important; this scoring guide helps to compare candidates, which also limits bias risks to help sift through candidates in order to find the right person for the position and the team.

Ultimately, asking the same questions to each of the candidates provides reliability when comparing them because it ensures consistency and gives the team the ability to compare candidates via a scoring method to reduce the risk of bias. Also, the type of question chosen is important, as it can help validate the candidate’s ability to do the job. Appropriate questions can draw out relevant information that can predict the candidate’s ability to successfully perform the job requirements in the future.

For example, in one of my interviews, I was asked about how I would work through a scenario where I was running a provider’s schedule and was asked to help a teammate. There was also a question about how I would manage 2–3 patients in a clinic who had different needs. Each question was designed to assess validity, specifically the relevant aspects of the job I was applying for, and whether my answers indicated future job performance. These questions assess critical thinking skills, nursing judgment, and my ability to safely and successfully multitask, all of which are necessary and important skills to safely perform the job. For example, if there were three patients, one wanting water, one having difficulty breathing, and one needing an appointment scheduled, and I chose to get the patient water or schedule an appointment before assisting the patient who was having difficulty breathing, that would indicate I lack the appropriate critical thinking skills needed for the position likely removing me as a candidate. At the time, I had no idea if the same questions were asked to other candidates, but I assume they likely were for the sake of reliability.

A this week’s lectures discuss, carefully designed interview can provide great insight into the candidates being interviewed by successfully highlighting strengths and weaknesses, all while using a scoring method to mitigate bias and support the decision-making process.