Training post-acute care professionals is essential to providing high-quality care and to the success of your organization. According to the Relias 2023 State of Healthcare Training and Staff Development Report, 68% of managers in the post-acute-care sector reported that their current staff development and training program has a “major” or “significant” impact on achieving their organization’s top business goals. These managers also stated that they would like their organization’s staff development and training to improve care quality (49%), competency skills (40%), and staff retention strategies (40%).
Read the full report.
The LinkedIn Learning 2023 Workplace Learning Report reveals that 93% of organizations are concerned about employee retention. The number one way they are working to improve this is by providing learning opportunities. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report, 51% of employees are watching for or actively seeking another job — mainly for increased pay, improved well-being, and opportunities to grow and develop.
Jennifer Burks, MSN, RN, Curriculum Designer in Post-Acute Care at Relias, suggested that learning and development officers in post-acute care organizations can help resolve employee retention challenges by providing training that covers the following topics:
- Compliance and regulatory updates
- Clinical competency development
- Soft skills enhancement
- Patient-centered care
- Technology adoption and digital literacy
- Emergency preparedness and disaster response
- Cultural sensitivity and diversity training
- Palliative and end-of-life care
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Career development and professional growth
“Education should emphasize person-centered care and consider the unique needs of each learner and their preferences and goals,” said Burks. “It should maintain and enhance employee clinical and soft skills and promote effective teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and shared decision-making.”
Six strategies to improve your training programs
Here are six strategies that can make your training programs more effective and help improve care outcomes:
1. Tailor training to specific job roles
Post-acute care teams include a range of roles, such as nurses, therapists, aides, and administrative personnel. Each of these roles requires different skills and knowledge. Therefore, it is crucial to customize training programs to the specific job roles within your organization. By doing so, staff members can receive relevant and targeted instruction that directly impacts their ability to provide quality care.
2. Use a variety of training methods
People have different learning styles, so providing training in multiple modalities is essential. These can include hands-on workshops, microlearning, e-learning modules, simulation exercises, and on-the-job training. By offering a mix of training methods, staff members can engage with the training content in ways that best suit their learning preferences, leading to improved knowledge retention.
3. Provide ongoing, continuous training
Post-acute care is a dynamic and evolving field, with new techniques, technologies, and best practices constantly emerging. Therefore, providing ongoing, continuous training is vital to keep staff members up to date with the latest developments in the industry. Regular training sessions, refresher courses, and access to self-directed learning resources can help your staff members remain current and competent.
4. Incorporate real-life scenarios
Training that incorporates real-life scenarios and case studies can help staff members apply their knowledge to practical situations they may encounter daily. Simulating common patient care scenarios enhances knowledge retention through hands-on experience and better prepares staff members to care for patients.
Watch A Day in the Life of Henry: Dementia Experience. This Relias course uses virtual reality to help clinicians experience life through the eyes of a person with dementia.
5. Measure the effectiveness of training
It is essential to assess the impact of training initiatives to ensure that they effectively improve care outcomes. This can be done through post-training assessments, surveys, and monitoring key performance indicators related to patient care. By measuring the effectiveness of training, you can identify areas for improvement and use data to enhance the quality of your training programs.
6. Choose training programs based on evidence-based practices
When deciding which training programs are best for post-acute care staff, it is crucial to confirm that they are grounded in evidence-based practices. Look for training programs that have been proven effective in improving care outcomes and are aligned with industry standards and recommended practice protocols. You can achieve this by seeking input from industry experts, conducting thorough research on available training options, and selecting programs with a track record of success in similar healthcare settings.
By implementing these strategies, you can ensure that your staff members receive relevant and targeted instruction that directly impacts their ability to provide quality care. Promoting a culture of learning that prioritizes staff education and development ensures that everyone on your team has the tools and the skills they need to succeed and that your organization continues to improve.
Aliza Inbari, MBA
Content Marketing Manager, Relias
Aliza Inbari has more than 20 years of marketing and communications experience in higher education, nonprofit, and business organizations. At Relias, she partners with physicians, nurses, curriculum designers, writers, and other staff members to shape healthcare content designed to improve clinical practice, staff expertise, and patient outcomes. She has an MA in political science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
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