Big hair, neon leg warmers, and a whole lot of learning — Henry Community Health recently
threw it back to the 1980’s for this year’s Nursing Competencies event, an annual training event
where clinical staff validate their skills, review new policies, and make sure patient care stays
top notch all year long.
This year’s “Totally 80’s” theme brought a rockin’ energy to what is a serious, hands-on
skill-building event. From hair band playlists to retro decorations, staff traded in scrubs-as-usual for a little nostalgia while diving into the important work of staying current on best practices in patient care.
By the Numbers
A total of 319 clinical team members across HCH took part in this year’s Competencies event.
That number tells you just how far-reaching the training is — it isn’t limited to one department or role. Every clinical team member goes through it, including:
- Registered and licensed nursing staff (including our Imaging RNs!)
- Non-licensed clinical staff
- Respiratory therapy staff
- Care Coordination staff
- Security team members
Bringing together such a wide cross-section of the clinical team helps reinforce a shared
standard of care across the entire organization, no matter which department someone works in
day to day.
What’s on the Competency Playlist
Throughout the day, staff rotated through a full lineup of hands-on skills stations covering some
of the most critical areas of patient care, including but not limited to:
- Telemetry Interpretation
- Blood Administration
- Service Excellence Standards
- Zoll/Crash Cart Use
- Difficult IV Access
- Oxygen Therapy Protocol
- Opioid Use Disorder Management
- Point of Care Lab Testing
- Medication Administration
From life-saving emergency response skills to the everyday standards that shape the patient
experience, each station gave staff a chance to review protocols, ask questions, and get
hands-on practice — all in one day.
Behind the Scenes: The Staff Development Team
None of this happens without serious planning. HCH’s Staff Development team organized and ran this year’s event, coordinating everything from scheduling nearly 350 staff members through training stations to designing the (very on-theme) skills fair itself.
Staff Development Supervisor Chante Ratekin shared what made this year’s event special: “Every year, our goal is to make sure our team walks away feeling confident and prepared — not just checking a box. Wrapping this year’s training in an 80’s theme gave us a chance to make a long day of important work genuinely fun. Seeing over 300 team members rotate through stations, laughing while they’re also refreshing life-saving skills, that’s exactly what we hope for.”
A Message from Nursing Leadership
Events like this aren’t just about individual skills — they’re about reinforcing a culture of
excellence across the entire nursing team. Chief Nursing Officer Shelley Wilson reflected on
what the annual training event means for HCH as a whole: “Competencies are one of my favorite events of the year. It’s a chance to see our entire clinical team — nursing, respiratory, licensed and non-licensed staff alike — come together with one shared purpose: delivering the safest, highest-quality care to our patients. The 80’s theme brought smiles to a lot of faces, but the commitment I saw was every bit as serious as it was fun.”
Why It Matters
Annual competencies training isn’t just a formality — it’s a cornerstone of patient safety and quality care. By bringing every clinical role together for a shared day of training, Henry Community Health reinforces consistent standards, introduces updated policies, and gives staff hands-on practice with critical skills, all while building camaraderie across departments. So while the leg warmers and cassette tapes may have been retro, the commitment to excellent patient care at Henry Community Health is always current.
Interested in joining a team that invests in ongoing training and professional development? Learn more about careers at Henry Community Health.