Developing clinical competencies/training checklists: when you have to start from scratch!

Where does an educator begin to develop competencies if the organization has not had formal written standards, has few clinical policies and procedures, or has not had consistent training checklists? The educator may have to begin from scratch. During a year-long process, 50+ clinical sites and 500+ clinical staff (nurses and medical assistants) played an active role in improving clinical orientation by assisting with the development of clinical competencies/ training checklists. This article outlines the development of the clinical competencies/ training checklists for the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation (UWMF), Madison, Wisconsin.