7 Corporate Training Best Practices for Maximum Impact in Healthcare

As clinicians, we are responsible for people's lives every day. And if we want to provide the best care possible, we can never stop learning. But between 12-hour shifts and family responsibilities, finding time to attend training sessions and run mentorship programs can be challenging.

Below, we discuss seven corporate training best practices for keeping your team aligned and motivated and addressing healthcare staff burnout.

» Train your team on best practices using a knowledge dissemination platform

Meet the Expert

Zachary Gross, MD, is an internal medicine physician with expertise in clinical practice, pharmacovigilance, medical monitoring, and healthcare consulting.

Why Is Corporate Training Important in Healthcare?

Corporate training in healthcare offers various benefits, including:

• Better quality of care
• Enhanced knowledge and skills
• Compliance with regulations
• Improved staff retention and morale
• Increased efficiency

Training helps your team stay current with the latest protocols and regulations. It also gives you the opportunity to discuss the advancements and trends in medical technologies and treatment options.

» Explore the different types of health information technology

These insights could lead to more accurate diagnoses and fewer complications for patients. In fact, a study recently identified over 448 papers that connected healthcare team development to a reduction in adverse events, mortality, and morbidity in patients.

» Improve patient outcomes through care coordination

Plus, impactful skill-building programs can improve communication, teamwork, and professional development. Such a supportive work culture can improve job satisfaction and retention and address challenges like burnout and turnover.

But only if you ensure continuous learning. Training shouldn't stop after a week of onboarding.

We have monthly meetings to discuss new concerns or systems that could be on the way. If our board decided to implement a new electronic medical record, we'd go over the transition and attend training sessions to ensure a smooth implementation for everyone.

» Learn how to keep your staff healthy and productive.

7 Best Practices for Effective Corporate Training in Healthcare

1. Identify Specific Knowledge and Skill Gaps

Surprisingly, just 16% of medical groups perform skill gap assessments. Before creating corporate training courses, you should determine who you're designing these modules for and what they need to know. To do this, gather data on your team's general background and relevant prior know-how.

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You can access this information through performance reviews, skills audits, surveys, and focus groups. Consult with experienced staff members for insights on everyday challenges and analyze patient feedback to identify areas for improvement. Also, consider talking to department heads about their team's goals and priorities.

» Find out how efficient knowledge management boosts patient care

You may also need to do some research. Review new technologies and assess whether your staff has the skills to use them proficiently. Stay updated on upcoming regulatory changes and identify knowledge gaps related to new compliance requirements, too.

This analysis can help you tailor your training program to bridge specific gaps in healthcare. A targeted approach makes your content more relevant and engaging.

2. Customize Training Programs

After identifying your team's learning needs, align them with specific topics. Then, decide which format or method works best.

For example, some providers may prefer online instruction because it gives them more flexibility to balance work and family commitments. But, there are some discussions you should have in person.

» Try out cloud-based methods for training healthcare staff

For example, face-to-face cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is typically better for maximum engagement. Your team can interact with colleagues and refresh skills by collaborating. But this requires additional travel time and may not always be feasible.

The choice of teaching format should consider the balance between convenience, engagement, and practicality for all the participants involved.

3. Cover Various Topics

When it comes to corporate training in healthcare, a one-size-fits-all approach won't always be practical. Since each role in this field has unique responsibilities and requires a specific skill set, you should customize courses to accommodate these differences.

If you want to boost patient care and drive operational efficiency, you should cover topics that address various issues, such as:

• Workplace safety (e.g., protections against gender-based harassment)
• Emergency preparedness, like handling active shooter situations
• CPR-for non-clinical staff
• Navigating metrics, such as quality measures and production
• Cultural competency
• Diversity and equity
• Sensitivity and inclusivity (e.g., transgender care)
• Stress management
• Electronic health records (EHRs)

You can create different modules-each focusing on one of the key areas I mentioned above. Throughout the year, staff members can complete these units and discuss any questions or concerns during meetings with different departments.

4. Use a Knowledge Dissemination Platform

Medicine continues to evolve. Today, we have many clinicians narrowing their focus to very niche subfields within their specialties. For example, a cardiologist may focus specifically on electrophysiology, or an oncologist may only work with breast cancer patients.

» Streamline clinical guidance and stay consistent in the evolving medical field

These subfields have led to expanding departments and subsectors within healthcare organizations. While these divisions fall under one umbrella, the increase in subspecialties has added more contact points for training and collaboration.

Managing these departments requires more resources and funding, which can be challenging. This is where a tool like C8 Health can help optimize knowledge management process flows. It can keep you up to date, give you access to targeted content, and break down knowledge silos within and between departments.

Set up a single source for locally vetted guidance

C8 Health breaks down silos, enabling care teams to access locally vetted guidance for updated knowledge at all times.

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5. Deliver Training Efficiently Within Time Constraints

Healthcare providers have very little free time to spend on training. They also very frequently need to deal with high levels of burnout.

So, your programs and course presenters need to follow a strategic approach that focuses on maximizing learning outcomes while respecting busy schedules. This means you should:

• Focus on key points and avoid overwhelming learners with unnecessary information. On the C8 Health platform, you can build custom onboarding and training checklists. They are useful for directing new hires to the knowledge they need to know, freeing up other staff from having to manually show them.
• Break down complex topics into smaller, manageable modules.
• Encourage active participation in group discussions, role-playing exercises, quizzes, and hands-on practice.
• Integrate real-world case studies and scenarios relevant to healthcare.
• Provide post-training resources like cheat sheets, online videos, tutorials, or quick reference guides. You can then integrate them all into the C8 Health platform for seamless access, and track the progress of your team's usage of these resources.

6. Incorporate Technology and Innovation

You can make your employee training methods more engaging, efficient, and effective with:

• Knowledge management systems: Generic business technology is often the solution for many hospital systems, but today, there are new options available that were built for the unique challenges of sharing knowledge and training new staff in a hospital setting. Platforms like C8 Health creates a new category that not only shares this important content with your teams, but makes your whole team more productive and more informed.
• AI-enhanced platforms: Machine learning algorithms can analyze a learner's strengths, weaknesses, and learning style. The can then tailor the training content, difficulty level, and pace to their individual needs. NLP would also help learners search for information using natural language queries, just like they would ask a human instructor.
• Virtual collaboration tools: Enable geographically dispersed healthcare professionals to share knowledge, discuss best practices, and learn from each other's experiences. C8 Health offers workspaces, discusssion boards, and other workflow collaboration tools to help you manage your team.
• Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR): Creates immersive simulations that allow clinicians to practice complex procedures in a virtual operating room.

7. Provide Support and Mentoring

Many healthcare professionals may find it challenging to engage in mentorship due to their busy schedules and other commitments. Still, you should encourage experienced staff to share their knowledge and skills with newer healthcare professionals.

Mentors can provide constructive feedback to help mentees identify areas for growth. They can create a safe space where new hires feel comfortable asking questions, discussing concerns, and seeking advice. Plus, they can offer career advice, help develop goals, and give insights into paths within the healthcare field.

Having designated individuals responsible for specific areas of training or support can ensure that employees receive prompt assistance and guidance when needed. Using C8 Health, you can view who vetted the information, provide feedback, and collaborate with others.

» Discover why interprofessional collaboration in healthcare is important.

Build a Skilled Healthcare Workforce

Incorporating smart training practices can significantly impact your healthcare team. These strategies can help you meet staff needs and enhance patient care.

The goal is to create a supportive, knowledgeable, and efficient workforce through continuous learning. You can also use cloud-based administrative solutions like C8 Health to improve communication and professional development.

Set up a single source for locally vetted guidance

C8 Health breaks down silos, enabling care teams to access locally vetted guidance for updated knowledge at all times.

Book a Demo