The Shift Coach Program

The shift coach training was created to assist nursing home leadership learn how to achieve widespread consistent use of infection prevention and control practices. Particular highlights of the training include how to engage all long-term care facility staff in infection control practices. The training builds on the body of evidence that supports how leadership can implement a safety of culture that results in high reliability in health care that leads to consistent use of infection prevention and control practices by long term care staff through engaging in a just-in-time peer coaching process. This shift coach training curriculum provides short modules to breakdown a large topic into manageable pieces. The training is appropriate for facility leadership, infection preventionists, unit supervisors, and department leads. 

After attending this training, participants will be able to:

• Describe what a shift coach is and their relationship to the infection preventionist and infection prevention and control improvement process
• Identify characteristics if a shift coach
• Implement shift coaches and huddles into everyday practice
• Discuss how to sustain a shift coach program for infection prevention and control improvement efforts 

The training is appropriate for facility leadership, infection preventionists, unit supervisors, and department leads.

This free training is available to AHCA/NCAL members and non-members thanks to a CDC Project Firstline grant award 6 NU50CK000582-04-01. 

Credits Available Upon Completion: 2 contact hours nurse credits through the Iowa Board of Nursing are available upon course completion.

Instructions to Register: 

• To avoid technical problems, use Google Chrome. 
• Members will need to log in using their existing email and password first. 
• Once you are logged in to the website you will be able to register by clicking the green register button at the top of the page. 
• If you have forgotten your password click here. 
• If you are new to the site, you can create an account here. Answer all fields on the create an account page- especially locating your company name. You can search by name or zip code. 
• After creating an account, you will be logged in and able to register.
• Click register and complete registration now. You will be directed to your cart to answer two questions in the checkout process. Access is free however, the answers to the questions are required before confirming registration. 

Instructions to Begin, after registering: 

• To begin the training, click on the Course Contents tab.
• Participants can move throughout the course by clicking on the header of each module to expand or minimize their view. 
• Participants must take and pass the final test to complete the course for CEs. 

Email educate@ahca.org if you need assistance. 

© 2025 American Health Care Association. All rights reserved. The Shift Coach Program materials subject to this copyright may be photocopied or distributed for the purpose of nonprofit or educational advancement. The use, photocopying, and distribution for commercial purposes of any of these materials is expressly prohibited without the prior written permission of the American Health Care Association.