Healthcare professionals have busy and stressful jobs as they have to exude empathy and patience while taking care of ill and impatient people. Amidst their duties and services towards patients they also have to find enough time to attend trainings, adhere to compliance needs as well as to upskill themselves. Yet, they cannot afford to take days at a time out of their packed schedules to attend trainings. In such scenarios one of the methods of learning and training that they can explore is microlearning. Microlearning, in essence, is a way to provide short and quick but intensely informative modules of trainings to professionals. There are many benefits of administering training through microlearning methods for healthcare professionals, some of which are listed below.
- CONTEXT WEAVING
The healthcare profession is one that is fraught with high-tension situations requiring immediate action. It is often quite futile to have healthcare staff learn theoretical concepts with no ways or means to apply them. It is definitely not the best course of action to teach them the theory and hope they remember and get it right when dealing with patients. This is where microlearning methods of training can come in handy. It can help simulate all kinds of medical contexts or situations in a controlled environment in order to give healthcare professionals the chance to safely practice a solution.
- TIME SAVER
Healthcare professionals are often busy and, in some instances, overworked, hence, it becomes impossible to expect them to carve out time to undergo hours of training. Microlearning can become a real lifesaver in such a context. The small and intense modules of training are designed in a manner that allows staff to complete them quickly. This method allows the healthcare professionals to undergo training in the modules they want, at a time that is convenient for them instead of clearing their schedules specifically for trainings. And since microlearning usually administers its training in 10 to 15 minutes, learners do not experience fatigue and generally are willing to consume the training content for a longer period of time.
- INTERACTIVE AND ENGAGING
Microlearning is a much more engaging and interactive way of training. Learners are encouraged to take quizzes, solve puzzles, watch videos, answer mid-module questions and collect keywords to proceed, and so on. When learning is made so engaging and interactive it becomes easier to retain and recall the information. Bite-size video content appeals to multiple senses and helps healthcare professionals immediately recall the concepts while applying learning to practice.
- IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON PATIENT CARE
Due to its nature of being able to convey training concepts in just minutes, microlearning helps healthcare professionals immediately transfer new knowledge to their jobs while interacting with patients. Communication and soft skills are quickly becoming important training modules for healthcare professionals as they have to know how to deal with stressed and anxious patients, as well as their kin. Consuming soft skills training content in micro doses and immediately applying it while interacting with patients can be a gratifying experience as the results are immediately felt. This will help in further encouraging the staff in continuing their trainings.
The above-mentioned benefits are only a part of the many advantages that adopting microlearning can lead to. Microlearning as a training strategy has been proven to have a positive effect on the knowledge, retention powers and confidence of healthcare professionals. It is a flexible method of consuming training content in a manner that is beneficial to both, the healthcare professionals seeking to improve their skills, as well as the medical facility which benefits from better motivated and trained staff.
