The healthcare system is constantly changing. The United States population is becoming more diverse. Regulations will play a significant role in many changes that occur in healthcare. Maintaining competence in required knowledge and skills for practice, advocacy and research are a must. How does today’s healthcare professional stay on top of all these changes? Life-long learning.
What is Life-Long Learning?
Changes are going to take place in almost every nook and cranny of healthcare, and healthcare professionals need to remain informed, flexible, and resilient to adapt to all of these changes. Life-long learning generally refers to an attitude and commitment to take actions necessary to continually learn throughout one’s professional career.
Multiple Modes of Learning
Life-long learning can be formal, such as earning an advanced degree or certification. It may involve attending continuing education offerings live and online. Life-long learning can also be less structured, such as keeping up with news and trends in one’s specialty area and joining professional groups.
Why It’s Important
Life-long learning is valuable for the individual because it:
- Helps individuals learn new skills
- Validates one’s practice and competence
- Keeps them current in their profession
- Deepens one’s knowledge base
- Increases employee engagement
- Expands career options
- Integrates knowledge, performance, competence and judgment
- Encourages flexibility during times of change
- Generates professional satisfaction
- Prevents burnout
It is also vital for the organization, which can benefit from:
- Creating more responsible professionals
- Deliver safe, competent and effective care
- Reducing gaps in care or service
- Reduce costs due to medical errors and mistakes
- Improve patient outcomes
What Kinds of Changes are Taking Place in Healthcare Today?
One thing everyone can count on is constant change in healthcare. Regardless of the setting like hospitals, outpatient care centers, urgent care, skilled nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health and hospice, changes are going to happen. Some changes occurring now and in the near future include the following:
- A strong move to holistic care
- Advancing science of medicine
- Technological changes
- Protecting private data
- Regulatory changes
- Healthcare delivery from the hospital to outpatient settings
- A rapidly aging population
- Fierce competition
- Continuing medical and health specialization
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Virtual medicine
- Evolving needs of the patient
- Pharmaceuticals and drug prices
Patient or Consumer?
Yesterday’s “patient” is today’s consumer and healthcare is steadily becoming more “consumer-ized” and “retail-ized”. A major force behind this change is the consumer’s investment in their own health care by paying more out of pocket. Today’s baby boomers aren’t afraid to pay for services they want and with this comes higher expectations for the best care money can buy.
Families are In the Know
Similarly, family members demand the best care possible for their loved one whether it’s in a hospital or hospice. It’s not uncommon for families to ask lots of questions, seek immediate answers, and play a role in their family member’s care. Family members, now more than ever, are educating themselves on diagnoses, medications and procedures and expect their healthcare professionals to know even more.
Leaders Need Competent and Skilled Staff
Besides all of the everyday tasks and duties performed by healthcare leaders, they must now ensure their staff is engaged in some form of quality continuing education. Leaders who value and take life-long learning seriously will most likely encourage their team to do the same. They also need to share the positive outcomes of such learning including:
- Understand changes in healthcare
- Stay on top of current and emerging trends
- Solve problems and make better informed decisions
- Learn about new technology
Final Thoughts on The Importance of Life-Long Learning in Healthcare
Today’s healthcare professional must engage in life-long learning that matches the many changes and transformations taking place in healthcare and medicine. Organizations can strive to develop a culture of life-long learning for their staff and offer opportunities to fulfill it. Life-long learning is so important that it may actually be one of the most important competencies for healthcare professionals to possess.