Just-in-Time Training: How Healthcare Businesses Can Reduce Costs & Burnout

Jan 8, 2024 | Articles, Employee Training

A Summary of “Finding Time For Learning & Development In Healthcare” by Dr. Jill Stefaniak, for Healthcare Business Today

Healthcare has always been a complex and critical industry that requires extensive training, but the last few years left healthcare workers at further risk of burnout. Despite the increasingly chaotic nature of this field, learning and development remains a high priority for healthcare workers. In this article, we’ll explore ways in which healthcare businesses can incorporate Learning and Development (L&D) into the often tight schedules of their personnel, as explained by Litmos’ Chief Learning Officer, Dr. Jill Stefaniak, for Healthcare Business Today. So, let’s dive in and explore the value of just-in-time training for healthcare organizations!

What is just-in-time training?

Just-in-time training can reduce an organization’s budget, increase workplace productivity, and reduce employee burnout. It also allows employees to access training on their own time, creating a culture of continuous learning.

A time-sensitive form of instruction — just-in-time learning gives employees the opportunity to access training related to their job when they require it. By focusing on just-in-time resources and cutting back on lengthy and usually pricier classes, Dr. Stefaniak explains, healthcare employers can reduce their training budgets. Providing an easier way for employees to learn on their own time can not only increase productivity and reduce burnout, but can also foster culture of continuous learning. In her article for Healthcare Business Today, Dr. Stefaniak outlines three ways that this approach can be implemented within the healthcare industry.

1. Design with accessibility in mind

To make training content accessible to everyone, designers must think outside the box and consider the different ways that a learner might access training content. Dr. Stefaniak details many ways to do this, including:

  • Designing multimedia content that can be accessed by learners using assistive technologies.
  • Providing mobile and desktop access to training content.
  • Developing interactive and scenario-based learning modules to accommodate employees who learn better through interactive training.
  • Offering condensed, microlearning modules to employees who don’t have the time or capacity to take lengthier courses.

Dr. Jill emphasizes that addressing the diverse needs and preferences of healthcare workers is fundamental for promoting continuous education and improving the overall quality of patient care.

2. Identify just-in-time training opportunities

L&D professionals can’t always tell what the future holds, but they can guess when training is needed by looking at trends in the healthcare industry. Dr. Stefaniak explains that just-in-time learning can be especially beneficial in the following healthcare scenarios:

  • When technology integration training is needed.
  • When there have been changes in industry regulations.
  • When information has to be disseminated quickly during disease outbreaks.
  • When organizations need to address areas of improvement in patient care.
  • When workers need to learn new operational or procedural changes.

3. Make sure training is relevant

Ensuring that training content is up-to-date is essential in the healthcare sector, where professionals have limited time to address real-time problems. To achieve this, Dr. Stefaniak encourages L&D professionals to focus on the most relevant information while creating just-in-time resources. Learning content should be concise and provide healthcare workers with the information they need to apply the knowledge immediately. Just-in-time training is the ideal way to do this.

Healthcare organizations who are seeking learning solutions that provide up-to-date, real-time training to their employees while cutting costs and increasing productivity, should consider building just-in-time training content. This type of training not only fosters a culture of continuous learning, but may also reduce burnout in the workplace and improve the quality of patient care. To learn more about the benefits of just-in-time training, read the full article here.