Educator Tools of the Trade: Job Aids

Educating and Precepting Tips for Teaching The Stitch

By: Sara Angelilli, DNP, MS, RN, CNOR, NPD-BC

Published: 1/9/2025

Share:

Educators rely on a host of tips and tricks that support our most important customers: the frontline staff. One way to ensure staff success is to set up systems that support getting staff the right information at the right time in a user-friendly format. A job aid is a standardized template your team can adopt to share process-related information in a visual format that is quick to digest. This article will explore what job aids are, why you should consider using them, and how you can create them. 

What Is a Job Aid? 

Staff work in complex environments where it is not feasible or realistic to remember everything necessary to provide surgical patient care. The term “performance support” describes the availability of information that guides staff decision making or task completion.1 The job aid delivers need-to-know information or exact steps to correctly complete a task without “nice-to-know” information (Figure 1). Job aids are useful because they converge important information in a simple and relevant document.1  

chart explaining various communication techniques

Figure 1. Example job aid for prevention of an unintentionally retained surgical item. Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network. 

Why Should You Consider Using a Job Aid? 

Job aids support staff with just-in-time resources to remind them how to correctly complete processes, protocols, or tasks that are infrequently performed or must be performed with a high degree of accuracy every time. Additionally, job aids are great for new tasks to help staff create habits. Repetition of routine tasks helps staff memorize the steps, anticipate what is coming next, learn patterns for expected outcomes, and develop critical thinking skills to recognize deviations in patterns that require correction. Perioperative nurses are tasked with learning and managing an incredible amount of information beyond the routine daily tasks and critical thinking skills. Educators can free nurses’ mental capacity through structured support with job aids that allows them to focus on creativity for problem solving, being emotionally present for patients, and scanning the environment to anticipate future needs. Job aids can be tailored for department needs. Types of job aids that may be considered include informational, process, coaching, and decision support (Table 1). 

Table 1. Types of Job Aids 

Type 

Description 

Formatting Tips 

Informational 

Provides context and knowledge that reminds staff of information that is infrequently used in practice 

  • Use action verbs and bullet points to deliver concise and actionable information
  • Limit the text to relevant information 
  • Add relevant images to support visual learners 
  • Examples: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease tipsheet, droplet precautions infographic  

Process 

Documents and prompts exact steps when accuracy is required to successfully complete the task 

  • Use action verbs and bullet points to deliver concise information 
  • Limit text to relevant information 
  • Organize the information according to the workflow 
  • Examples: checklist for specimen preparation, job breakdown list to perform an annual respiratory fit test, video tutorial to set up equipment 

Coaching 

Provides resources, frameworks, reflection, or decision support that prepares staff to perform a task well 

  • Use action verbs and bullet points to deliver concise and actionable information 
  • Link to relevant resources if the staff member may need a refresher 
  • Insert relevant framework or questions that prompt staff to correctly complete the process 
  • Example: worksheets to guide staff through feedback conversation planning 

Decision support 

Documents a stepwise approach to making decisions when a variety of information is present 

  • Use action verbs and bullet points to deliver concise and actionable information 
  • Display in a visual format like an algorithm 
  • Organize the information according to the workflow 
  • Example: advanced cardiac life support algorithm 

 

How Do You Create a Template? 

Before you create your first job aid, you should pause to consider your goals, the audience, and the type of task. First, you should decide what you are trying to accomplish with the job aid. The answer may be better service, more accurate outcomes, or increased compliance or efficiency. Second, you should think about the characteristics of your audience. How much knowledge do they currently possess and what is their skill level? Will the aid be accepted better as print materials, electronic materials, or video instructions? How will staff seek this support in the context of their department environment? When considering the task, it is helpful to ask what the staff member needs to know or do when performing the task. Does the task have special considerations or safety concerns? And, finally, what does the staff member need to know at the completion of the task? 

Job aids can come in many styles depending on the type of task, level of support required, and staff preferences. Options include a tailored step format (job breakdown list), scripts, visual designs (graphics), decision tables (algorithms), and video tutorials. You are probably already familiar with scripts, graphics, algorithms, and video tutorials.  

What is a Job Breakdown List? 

Our team commonly uses the job breakdown list with a standardized template to outline steps in a task (Figure 2). In the job aid header, the purpose of the task is described, with reference to the hospital policy or procedure. Then, the steps are organized in a table with the headers element (step), key points, and rationale. We use an image or icon in the first column with the element or step because most people are visual. The images help guide people through the steps quickly, and they can zoom into the exact level of detail they need at the time. The second column outlines critical steps in the process in the sequence they should occur. Finally, in the last column, special notes or rationales are provided to quickly help staff understand the importance of each step, supporting compliance. 

Member Login Required

Log in to your membership account to continue reading this article or access additional resources. Not a member yet? Explore all the perks and join our community.

Related Articles