January at the Grifols Academy
The Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis started the 2010 year off with a very busy January. The month started off with repeated course offerings from the 2009 curriculum, and with additional events including a workshop and patient group advocacy meeting.
January Courses
The combined Advanced Management I, and II course and the Medical course from 2009 were offered to more than 60 members of management and medical personnel from Biomat and PlasmaCare, who had not previously attended the courses. More than 500 CEU hours were earned by participants in the Medical course.
Physician’s Workshop
Scientific Affairs, Grifols, Inc. hosted in January its second physicians’ workshop at the Academy. The workshop on “Hemophilia A inhibitor Development and Management” included a small group of opinion leaders in the field of hemophilia. Guests were invited to share their clinical experiences in the treatment of their patients. A substantial part of the workshop was dedicated to reviewing the present safety of coagulation factors and clinical study SIPPET.
Arizona Hemophilia Association Advocacy Training
On January, the Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis hosted the Advocacy Training Program for the Arizona Hemophilia Association. Approximately 15 people from the bleeding disorders community attended the three-hour training lead Grifols Government and Public Affairs Manager. The purpose of the training was to update the Arizona bleeding disorders community on policy issues at the federal and state level that could affect their access to health insurance coverage and product choice to treat their bleeding disorders
Grifols Academy Concludes First Year
Since its Grand Opening on January 28, 2009, the Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis has welcomed over 800 associates from within the Grifols companies for departmental trainings, annual recertifications, educational development, and industry related meetings. Over 500 of the participants attending courses were members of Operations, Quality, Medical, and Training departments. Instructional sessions included Advanced Management, Introduction to Grifols, Medical Personnel, Quality Assurance, Biostatistics, Business Writing, Computer Skills, and Technical Writing seminars. Human Resources and Advanced Autopheresis Repair classes were also hosted throughout the year by the Academy.
The Academy also met two of its major goals: receiving its CEU provider license for nurses through the California Board of Registered Nurses, and gaining membership in the American Society of Quality. Since October 2009, over 300 hours of Continuing Education Units have been earned by Grifols medical staff.
The Academy will continue to offer educational opportunities and host functions for the Grifols companies at its Glendale location, and through the development of on-line courses which will be offered through our Grifols Campus website during the 2010 year.
Through everyone’s enthusiastic participation, it has been a very successful and exciting year for the Academy.
Biomat USA Annual Recertification Training Meeting
December 1st through December 3rd the Grifols Academy welcomed 30 participants from Biomat’s Central Division to attend their 2009 Annual Recertification Meeting. Participants included Biomat management in the fields of Operations, Quality, and Compliance. The course was instructed by Rene Ramirez and was very interactive, featuring numerous group activities and discussions, a year-end review, and a look ahead to next year.
The class was visited by many executives, some of whom gave presentations. CEO Shinji Wada congratulated the group on a successful 2009 and offered insight on the direction and plans for Biomat USA in 2010. Dr. Rosa Bray and Bob Booker spoke on health and safety procedures, while Emily Bolger and Rebecca Clinton addressed quality and compliance issues. Shane Stremming provided an update on the future uses of automated plasmapheresis equipment which also included a spirited game of Jeopardy.
The Academy looks forward to hosting more activities for our employees in the Grifols Companies in the future.
November Sessions at the Academy
In early November, the Academy welcomed back Carlos Eton, of the Grifols Inc. Training Department, for another Computer Skills training session. Ten staff members of Biomat USA, including Training Coordinators, Quality and Operations Supervisors, and Facility Managers, took part in the Intermediate Excel training. The two day session covered fundamental formulas and functions, list management, formatting content, and charting in Excel.
The Academy also hosted a Business Writing Seminar this November. The seminar included 14 staff members from Quality, Compliance, Operations, and Training departments within Biomat USA. The two day session was instructed by Sean Doran, Technical Writer for the Austin Lab and provided a broad overview of business communications while focusing on various concepts of grammar and writing of proposals, reports, meeting minutes, and presentations. Sean will return to the Academy in December to instruct the Technical Writing seminar, which will cover composing and editing letters, audit responses, evaluation forms, SOPs, protocols, and specifications.
Biostatistics seminar offered at the Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis
The Grifols Academy welcomed 12 participants for training in Biostatistics in October of 2009. Participants included Biomat management in the fields of Operation, Quality, and Compliance. The course was instructed by Frank Bray and provided participants with a background in Biostatistics and training in the areas of problem analysis, solution planning, data collection, charting, and quality improvement. The seminar also included tests and exercises that were executed throughout the course to practice the tools provided. The Academy will offer this course again during the 2010 curriculum year.
Academy Memberships and Accreditations
The Academy is pleased to announce its membership with the ASQ foundation, American Society for Quality, as of September 29, 2009. As a member of ASQ, we will have the opportunity to provide participants with additional quality improvement tools, including ASQ training, resources, exams, and certification.
We are also excited to announce that as of October 1, 2009, we became an Approved Provider, under the California Board of Registered Nurses, for Continuing Education Programs. This will allow the Academy to provide continuing education contact hours to participants having their nursing license, who successfully complete the courses.
August Courses at the Academy: Medical Personnel Training and Computer Skills Courses
The Grifols Academy held its first session of Medical Personnel Training. This session was strategically coordinated by the Biomat Corporate Medical Director. Participants included medical staff members from Biomat, PlasmaCare, and PCCI. The course included Adverse Reactions, Donor Suitability, Ethics for Medical Staff, Introduction to Immunology, Introduction to the Physiology of Plasmapheresis, Physical Exams, and Plasma Products Today and in the Future classes. We look forward to offering this course again in October of this year. The Academy also welcomed members of Biomat staff from various departments within the company for a Computer Skills course. The class provided instruction in Microsoft Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word programs. The intermediate level course on the subject matter will be offered in November of this year.
Academy Hosts Local Hemophilia Chapter
In keeping with its broad educational mission, the Academy recently hosted representatives from the Phoenix-based Arizona Hemophilia Association. The informative presentation and tour of the Glendale donor center was done in conjunction with the Association’s annual meeting. Participants were guided through an in-depth tour of the many donor health and plasma quality safeguards during the donation process and were provided overview of Grifols and current industry standards. Patient representatives from the Arizona Hemophilia Association expressed their genuine appreciation for the tour and were favorably impressed by both facilities and the many safeguards in place for plasma donation.
Grifols Academy hosts Quality Assurance Course
This month the Academy welcomed over 30 Biomat USA , PlasmaCare, and PCCI Quality personnel to participate in the Quality Assurance for Quality Personnel session. The course included Advanced cGMP, the Cost of Poor Quality, Internal Quality Audits, Quality Principles, and Validation Principles classes. This concludes the Quality Personnel core courses for the 2009 year, although some quality specific seminars will be conducted this year. We look forward to offering the same Quality Personnel courses again next year with additional new sessions on root-cause analysis, laboratory testing, EMEA preparation and change control.
Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis Concludes First Semester
The Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis, which opened in January of this year, has become the central location for advanced training within the company. Over 400 associates from various Grifols Companies throughout the United States have visited for the development of educational tools, inter-company meetings and Grifols course offerings. Of these participants, 250 were enrolled in various courses, which included Advanced Management, Quality Assurance, and an Introduction to Grifols courses. Several TEAM leadership training sessions and Advanced Autopheresis Machine Repair course were also held at the facility. We look forward to a more challenging second semester, during which we will be adding courses in the areas of Medical Supervision, Biostatistics, Technical Writing and Computer Skills.
Activities at the Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis in March 2009
In March, the Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis welcomed participants to an Advanced Plasmapheresis Machine Repair course. The Academy also welcomed Quality Personnel to participate in a Quality Assurance course, which included classes in the areas of Validation, Advanced cGMP, Quality Principles, Auditing and the Cost of Poor Quality. The Academy looks forward to offering these classes again in the near future.
Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis Grand Opening and Upcoming Events
The Grifols Academy of Plasmapheresis celebrated its Grand Opening with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on January 28, 2009. Joining Mr. Victor Grifols in the event was the Spanish Ambassador, Mr. Jorge Descallar, guests from the Spanish and Catalonian Health Authorities, elected Officials, members of the PPTA, Patients Associations, and Grifols management.
Nearly 80 students have achieved Advanced Management certification. Classes included Management Philosophy, Leadership, Ethics, Immunology and Physiology of Plasmapheresis.
The next Academy course offering on March 30 will be Quality Assurance for quality personnel. This course encompasses Quality Principles, Process and System Analysis, Auditing Methodology, and Advanced cGMPs. A technical course will also be offered in Plasmapheresis Advanced Autopheresis Equipment Repair.
Grifols continues to enhance and standardize the education of our employees in the fundamentals of quality, ethics, skills, and knowledge that uphold the Grifols values.