At Bassett Medical Center, our network (which spans an area the size of Connecticut) has always prioritized education. But with ongoing staffing shortages and the pressing demands on nurses' time, traditional training methods were becoming impractical.
After discovering 7taps at a nursing conference last year, I presented the idea of microlearning to my director, and we started a free trial. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from staff helped secure buy-in from both leadership and learners, demonstrating the tool's potential to transform our training approach.
“New, innovative, efficient ways to get information and education out there to the nursing staff has been a challenge, I think, for every organization. But using, the microlearning platform has been really successful for us over the past year.”
Watch Megan Coombs discuss challenges in nursing education and professional development that Bassett Healthcare addresses with microlearning. Powered by MicrolearningCONF.
The journey to microlearning integration
The challenge of healthcare training
Taking a break to go to the bathroom or eat lunch is hard enough, let alone participating in training sessions or sitting through lengthy online modules. Our staff just doesn't have the time for that. Engaging them in training is really a challenge.
While in-person learning has its merits, it’s not always practical in our environment. The cost of pulling a nurse off the unit for training or assigning an educator to spend even a few minutes with each nurse adds up quickly.
Adopting a microlearning solution
We needed a quick, accessible, and cost-effective way to get information to our staff. When I started experimenting with microlearning, I realized how efficient it was. I could send training content to staff via text message or email. The convenience was undeniable.
And, because many of our nurses are Millennials, Gen Z, and even Gen Alpha, there’s a higher level of comfort and enthusiasm for technology-driven learning platforms. The accessibility of microlearning courses on their phones has been widely welcomed.
Using microlearning for new procedures
With microlearning, I can provide a quick training module on a new procedure. Nurses can access it via a QR code posted in their workspace or through our online intranet. If they forget the steps, they can quickly refer back to the microlearning module with visuals. This is invaluable since an educator can't always be present.
Gathering information and encouraging certification
Microlearning has also been great for obtaining information. Traditionally, interviewing staff might not yield full disclosure, but with microlearning, we can conduct anonymous polls and surveys to get honest feedback and perform thorough gap analyses.
We’ve also started a "med-surg question of the week" to encourage certification among our nursing staff. This interaction helps inspire more nurses to pursue certification and professional development in their specialties.
Integrating microlearning with our LMS
We’ve integrated microlearning into our full-time learning management system. This allows us to track participation, generate compliance reports, and ensure all training is accounted for. While we've used microlearning for some regulatory and accreditation purposes, I anticipate we'll be leveraging it even more in the future.
Practical tips for implementing microlearning
For those in healthcare looking to adopt microlearning, here are a few tips:
- Start small: Introduce microlearning with a single topic or procedure to test its effectiveness and gather feedback.
- Make it accessible: Ensure content is easy to access, with links or QR codes available in convenient locations.
- Engage staff: Use interactive elements like polls and quizzes to keep staff engaged and gather valuable feedback.
- Integrate: Link microlearning modules with your main learning management system for tracking and compliance purposes.
By leveraging microlearning through 7taps, we've successfully addressed these challenges, making education more accessible and engaging for our staff. As we continue to refine our approach, I’m confident it will become an indispensable tool in our training arsenal.
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