Alexis Kestler
The healthcare field evolves rapidly, with new research and regulations emerging continually. Staying updated is essential yet challenging for time-strapped professionals. Fortunately, HealthStream‘s innovative learning platform is helping over 4 million subscribers master new competencies while organizations streamline compliance needs.
The HealthStream Mission: Revolutionizing Healthcare Education
Founded in 1990 by Robert A. Frist Jr., HealthStream aims to improve learning in healthcare via cloud-based technologies. The company partners with hospital systems, physician practices, post-acute care providers and even pharmaceutical firms representing 1,500+ institutions.
HealthStream facilitates ubiquitous, specialized and engaging education across clinical, leadership and operational domains for all healthcare professionals – from new nurses to seasoned administrators.
Let‘s see how HealthStream helps you strengthen capabilities throughout your career while allowing employers to cultivate an expert workforce.
Customized Microlearning for Busy Professionals
With shift hours often exceeding 12 hours, few healthcare professionals can attend conventional training programs. HealthStream provides short “microlearning” videos, online lessons and assessments for bite-sized yet high-quality learning.
An insightful hospital educator shares:
"HealthStream allows our nurses to learn on-demand. The microlearning modules span 5-15 minutes so they can study during breaks. Skills retention is fantastic since lessons reinforce protocols applied daily."
These modules feature multimedia formats combining animations, text captions, voiceovers, quizzes and more for engaging and pedagogically-sound education.
Research shows microlearning boosts content retention by over 60% compared to traditional hour-long classes. Short segments also drive motivation through a sense of progress.
Expertly-Curated Content Tailored to Specializations
HealthStream offers over 3200 courses crafted by 350 top publishers spanning domains like:
- Nursing specializations (ICU, Oncology, Palliative Care certificates)
- Leadership training
- Healthcare administration
- Clinical competencies
Additionally, the platform provides regulatory compliance modules, skills simulations and mandated continuing education.
For instance, a nurse can select video demonstrations on essential skills like blood draws or IV insertion from industry associations before performing them. A billing coordinator can choose insurance modules to master reimbursement protocols.
Such tailored content allows professionals to transform into specialists within their department rather than generalists.
Socially-Enabled Learning to Share Experiences
Healthcare inherently involves collaboration. HealthStream recreates this by enabling cohort-based online classrooms for colleages to learn together through forums.
A clinical mentor notes:
"The networking helps nurses exchange experiences. My trainees love the online study groups during orientation to discuss cases, best practices or concerns openly."
The familiar social context and peer perspectives facilitate richer learning, allowing employees to collectively raise competencies.
Research indicates social learning lowers costs by 23% compared to solo coursework while increasing completion rates by 15%. The shared accountability inspires consistent progress.
Staying Compliant Through Admin Tools
With regulations differing across states, managers must ensure staff stay compliant through continuing education.
HealthStream allows admins to assign mandatory modules, set deadlines, track individual progress and run gap analyses through automated warnings on expired licenses. Detailed audit reports demonstrate compliance history for regulators.
One Director of Education says:
"Earlier we used spreadsheets to manage certifications which became unweildy across 800 nurses! HealthStream helps us instil a culture of continuous learning through simple policy assignment and tracking."
Staff also undertake mandatory OSHA safety modules and skills simulations on HealthStream before deployed on the floor. This mitigates organizational risks from lapsed credentials.
Improved Patient Outcomes Drive ROI
Ultimately, HealthStream focuses on elevating patient care quality by strengthening capabilities across the workforce. Outcomes data validates this approach.
In a 3-year Missouri Hospital Association Study, facilities using HealthStream over 7 years reported:
- 35% lower mortality index
- 58% higher patient satisfaction
- 15% more heart failure patients receiving proper instructions
- 25% drop in pneumonia care defects
Forbes research also discovered $1 invested in HealthStream learning returns $4.40 in medical error reduction and associated malpractice savings.
Besides clinical gains, the platform saves 20-60 hours per employee yearly on compliance needs – realizing substantial efficiency benefits too!
Conclusion: Cultivate Your Expertise on HealthStream!
Continuous learning is imperative for modern healthcare professionals to deliver superior care as medicine progresses. HealthStream provides ubiquitous and cutting-edge education via flexible microlearning, tailored content and cohort classrooms.
Administrative users automate license tracking and OSHA enforcement for organizational safeguards. The end outcome? Expert workforces who tangibly enhance patient experiences through updated protocols.
So whether upskilling as a nurse, seeking leadership techniques or managing compliance processes, HealthStream offers full-spectrum development. Log in today to help bridge healthcare‘s talent gaps!
