4 Things to Consider When Preparing Your Accountants for Annual CPE Training Requirements

Annual CPE compliance is an integral part of maintaining the integrity and expertise of your accounting firm, but can also be a source of stress and disruption. Ensuring that your team is complying with these requirements requires strategic planning and foresight. Here are four key considerations when developing learning plans for CPE compliance.

1. Evaluate the Trade-Offs of Billable Hours

One of the primary concerns for any accounting firm is the potential loss of billable hours when employees are completing CPE Compliance hours. This is a crucial aspect to consider as it directly affects your firm’s profitability. While compliance is non-negotiable, finding a balance between learning time and client work is essential. Encouraging your team to plan their workload in advance can help keep projects on track while they focus on readiness.

2.  Evaluating Training Effectiveness

Evaluating the effectiveness of your CPE training is crucial to ensure continuous improvement. This involves:

• Gathering Feedback: Encourage participants to share their experiences and suggestions. This feedback is invaluable for refining future training sessions.
• Monitoring Progress and Outcomes: Use analytics tools to track learning outcomes and identify areas for improvement.

3.  Tailoring Training to Individual Needs

Not all accountants are at the same level of expertise or have the same learning needs. Identifying knowledge gaps is crucial for effective CPE training. Consider:

• Conducting Pre-assessments: Determine what each accountant already knows and where they need to improve. This helps in designing a more tailored learning experience.
• Creating Personalized Learning Paths: Utilize adaptive learning technologies that adjust content based on the learner’s knowledge and preferences.

4. Streamline Annual CPE Compliance Process

Technology can play a pivotal role in streamlining the annual CPE compliance process. Consider online learning platforms designed to provide insights into workforce knowledge gaps and suggest tailored learning paths. Choose a platform that allows for easy authoring and integration into your existing systems, making it a valuable tool in your compliance arsenal. Leveraging such technology ensures your team is not only meeting their annual CPE compliance requirements, but also equipped with the latest industry knowledge.

Conclusion

Completing annual CPE compliance doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By considering the trade-offs of billable hours, identifying knowledge gaps and leveraging the right technology, you can ensure your team is well-equipped and confident. This strategic approach not only enhances your firm’s compliance readiness but also contributes to a knowledgeable and resilient workforce. Remember, the key to success lies in preparation and the smart allocation of resources. Ready to empower your accountants? 

Limitations of Traditional Assessments

In the rapidly evolving world of business, staying ahead of the curve means not only upskilling your workforce but doing so in a way that is both efficient and effective. The limitations of traditional assessments are becoming increasingly apparent. To truly understand and enhance employee capabilities, organizations must dive deeper by assessing competencies to identify gaps and personalize the learning experience. 

The Limitations of Traditional Assessments

Traditional assessments often fail to meet the demands of a dynamic and diverse workforce. They fall short in several important ways.

• One Size Fits All: Conventional assessments are usually standardized, treating all employees the same regardless of their unique skills, learning styles, and needs. This approach is not only inefficient, but they also lead to generalized results that don’t accurately reflect individual competencies.
• Static and Outdated: Traditional assessments are not designed to adapt to the rapidly changing skills landscape. As a result, they can become outdated quickly, failing to keep pace with new skills and knowledge requirements.
• Lack of Real-world Application: Traditional assessments frequently focus on rote memorization rather than assessing a learner’s ability to apply knowledge in practical, real-world scenarios. This disconnect can result in professionals who know the theory but struggle with practical application in their fields.
• Limited Feedback: Once a test is completed, learners typically receive a score or grade, with minimal feedback on their performance. This approach can hinder the learning process, as it doesn’t provide learners with insights into their strengths and weaknesses or areas that need improvement.
• Surface Level Evaluation: Traditional assessments often measure a candidate’s ability to memorize and regurgitate information rather than their understanding or ability to apply knowledge. This can result in professionals who are not fully prepared to tackle real-world challenges.
• Pressure and Anxiety: The high-stakes nature of traditional testing can lead to anxiety, which may negatively impact performance and fail to reflect a learner’s true capabilities.

Given these constraints, it’s crucial for employers to rethink their assessment strategies to foster a more comprehensive evaluation of skills and competencies.

What Employers Should Consider When Building Their Assessment Strategy

When employers develop their assessment strategies and are considering which platform to leverage, they should consider several key factors to ensure they are fostering a capable and adaptable workforce:

• Personalized Learning Paths: consider a solution that generates personalized learning paths based on the needs of each employee. This ensures that training is relevant, targeted, and efficient, reducing the likelihood of redundant or unnecessary training and saving organizations time and money.
• Pair assessments with Continuous Learning: Implement assessments that encourage ongoing improvement and that align with individual and organizational learning paths – rather than one-time evaluations.
• Continuous Relevance: Ensure that assessments are continually adapted to be current with real-world scenarios that professionals will face in their roles. By choosing an assessment partner that leverages easy AI-supported authoring, your organization will be able to ensure it is easy to continually adapt content.
• Feedback Mechanism: Make sure assessments offer detailed feedback to guide learners in their development. One of the most dangerous and pervasive issues organizations face is the presence of confidently held misinformation (CHM) within their workforce. CHM is the information employees confidently believe is correct…but isn’t. When someone is confident, they act. When they are confident and incorrect, they act incorrectly. Amplifire provides real-time feedback during assessments, challenging and correcting CHM and allowing employees to learn and adjust their understanding on the spot. This immediate reinforcement helps to solidify knowledge and address misconceptions as they arise.

Experience Personalized Learning with Amplifire

Traditional assessments and generic training programs fall short of meeting the diverse needs of today’s workforce. By leveraging Amplifire’s adaptive learning capabilities, organizations can conduct personalized learning that accurately identifies skill gaps and tailor the learning experience to each employee. This approach not only enhances individual performance but also drives overall organizational success, ensuring that training efforts are both effective and efficient. 

Discover how Amplifire can revolutionize your training and development programs. Schedule a demo today to see firsthand how our platform personalizes learning, identifies skill gaps, and helps employees learn better and faster.

Conclusion

The limitations of traditional assessments are clear, and as industries evolve, so must the methods we use to evaluate and nurture talent. By adopting innovative platforms like Amplifire, employers can craft assessment strategies that not only measure knowledge but also enhance it, ensuring that professionals are truly prepared to excel in their respective fields. For training professionals, medical practitioners, and accountants alike, this shift is crucial in building a workforce ready to meet the demands of tomorrow.

An Approach to In-Depth Skills Tracking

In today’s competitive business environment, staying ahead means continually evolving and upskilling your workforce. Did you know that according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, employers expect 44% of workers’ skills to be disrupted in the next 5 years, and that 6 out of 10 staff members will require training before 2027? Modern organizations must delve deeper into understanding the unique skills and capabilities of their employees. 

How Amplifire Enhances Skills Tracking
The Amplifire platform is designed to support in-depth skills tracking in several key ways.

Use case with Amplifire
Consider a mid-sized tech company that implemented Amplifire to enhance its skills tracking and development efforts. Prior to using Amplifire, the company relied on basic competency checklists and generic training programs. This approach led to uneven skill development and a lack of clarity about employee capabilities.

After adopting Amplifire, the company was able to capture detailed information about each employee’s skills and experiences. With this data, they identified critical skill gaps and created targeted training programs to address them. The personalized learning paths provided by Amplifire ensured that each employee received the training they needed to succeed in their roles.

The result was a significant improvement in overall skill levels across the organization. Employees felt more engaged and supported in their development, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention rates. Moreover, the company was better prepared for future challenges, with a clear understanding of its workforce’s capabilities and a robust succession plan in place.

Experience the Amplifire Difference
By leveraging Amplifire to invest in reporting, organizations can gain a comprehensive understanding of their workforce’s capabilities, create targeted training programs, and make informed strategic decisions. This approach not only enhances individual performance but also drives organizational success in an ever-evolving business landscape. Discover how Amplifire can enhance your team’s learning and development. Check out a demo today to see how our platform helps people learn better and faster.

Why Healthcare Leaders need to focus on skills-based training and upskilling

The troubling reality keeping healthcare executives up at night is two-fold. Maintaining financial stability, and the age-old problem of hospitals (no pun intended) bleeding nurses. Hospitals are losing nurses to non-bedside roles and, in some cases, different career paths altogether, and this didn’t stop when the pandemic ended. Job satisfaction for RNs is still on the decline, with the number of nurses reporting dissatisfaction with their chosen career nearly doubling between 2017 and 2021. Even more troubling is that the sharpest declines in job satisfaction is in hospital-based registered-nurse positions. Additionally, the supply of registered nurses does not keep pace with the demand, making it difficult for each hospital system to maintain an acceptable pipeline of FTE RNs.

Innovation is king in today’s successful healthcare organizations, and one way leading hospitals are helping to fill this continued staffing gap is to upskill. So, what exactly is upskilling, and why is this important? Upskilling is preparing nurses and support staff to perform outside of their role and current responsibilities by training them in skills that they did not have before. The benefits of upskilling are showing promise, as staff members have reported an increased sense of job satisfaction when presented with these opportunities for growth. Organizations have also noted a decrease in nurse turnover when educational opportunities like these are available. 

As a complement to upskilling, skills-based hiring is another trend gaining momentum in the clinical world. This is similar to upskilling because it focuses on individuals’ competencies instead of solely looking at a degree earned or education achieved. It helps identify talent stemming from less traditional approaches. The two distinct paths of upskilling existing healthcare workers, and skills-based hiring come together nicely when healthcare leaders look holistically at their organization. As Celine Raffray of Bristol Myers Squibb says, “You have to be innovative in identifying skills.” Add this strategy to the reality of needing to continuously train and upskill existing employees, and organizations have the recipe for successfully recruiting and retaining top talent to make their organizations perform better and bring a little relief to the talent pipeline. Cue the much-needed extra shut-eye, leaders!

One member of the Healthcare Alliance, a group of health system innovators working to improve the learning experience, UCHealth, is investing in their staff members by upskilling patient care assistants through support role training. UC Health created and implemented workforce development adaptive learning modules for their PCAs, resulting in a 70% retention rate, a 50% reduction in learning time, and a 14.6% system-wide decrease in caregiver burden.

Another member of the Healthcare Alliance, Intermountain Health, utilizes a fresh approach to onboarding new RNs through. Nursing Competency adaptive learning modules for critical areas including CLABSI prevention, fall risk and other high-risk onboarding areas. They saw reduced training time for new hire RN orientation of 80%! The investment in skills-based learning pays off when new hires can finish onboarding and get on the floor faster. This saves training budget, increases job satisfaction, and gives clinical educators valuable time back to focus on their next most pressing initiatives.

When healthcare executives can prioritize skills-based training for nurses and upskill support staff, the gap between supply and demand may lessen just enough to help us all sleep better at night.

3 Key Takeaways from Advancing Training for your Clinicians: A Conversation with Tampa General Hospital

In the dynamic landscape of healthcare, where advancements in technology and patient care continually evolve, the role of training for clinicians is pivotal. In a compelling podcast discussion hosted by Mariah Muhammad for Becker’s Healthcare, Rachel Feinman, Vice President of Innovation at Tampa General Hospital (TGH), and Austin Smith, Director of Healthcare Alliance Development at Amplifire, delved into the transformative impact of advancing training methodologies for healthcare professionals. Here are three key takeaways from their enlightening conversation:

1. Build a Resilient Workforce Through Innovative Training Methodologies

A resilient healthcare workforce is fundamental to delivering consistent, high-quality care amidst evolving patient needs and healthcare challenges. “Looking at and reevaluating the way that we think about training is part of an even broader initiative and strategic goal around team member resiliency,” says Ms. Feinman. “Team members who are better trained feel more empowered to do their job.” Mr. Smith echoed these sentiments, highlighting Amplifire’s commitment to supporting healthcare organizations in cultivating a culture of innovative learning. 

By facilitating ongoing education and professional development through accessible, engaging learning platforms, Amplifire contributes to workforce resilience by equipping clinicians with the skills and knowledge needed to confidently navigate complex healthcare environments. Modernized training accelerates the onboarding process by leveraging previous clinician experience, and saving time by not retraining individuals on knowledge they already have. This has been especially successful in onboarding to Electronic Health Records like Epic. 

“We train and deploy at scale,” says Mr. Smith. Experienced clinicians might not need to sit through hours of classroom-based training, but instead can take an asynchronous Amplifire module to assess and solidify knowledge and get them to the floor in a fraction of the time.

2. Personalization and Customization Enhance Training Effectiveness

This personalized approach not only accelerates the onboarding process but aligns training content with the latest healthcare protocols and technologies, ensuring clinicians are well-prepared to deliver high-quality care through adaptive learning technologies that harness brain science-based methodologies to customize educational content for each learner.

Traditional training models in healthcare often follow a one-size-fits-all approach, where clinicians receive standardized education irrespective of their prior experience or learning style.  “Like many things, COVID was the impetus for a lot of change. And I think that was the case around workforce training,” says Ms. Feinman. The shift towards remote and virtual training necessitated a reevaluation of training strategies. Instead of uniform classroom sessions, TGH embraced personalized training experiences tailored to individual learning needs.

Ms. Feinman emphasized that treating each clinician as a unique learner significantly enhances engagement and knowledge retention. By leveraging data insights and platforms like Amplifire, TGH now delivers targeted micro-learning modules that address specific needs identified through data analytics.  “We have access to a lot of data,” Ms. Feinman continues. “Now we can target training down to the team member, down to the shift, or down to the unit that needs it.” This targeted approach not only streamlines training processes but produces behavior change, ensuring that clinicians are proficient and confident in applying their skills directly to patient care scenarios, without adding unnecessary burden.

3. Integration of Technology Drives Efficiency and Patient Outcomes

The integration of AI and personalized learning methodologies will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare training. 

Ms. Feinman underscored TGH’s commitment to leveraging AI not as a replacement for human expertise but as a tool to augment clinician capabilities and streamline operational efficiencies.  “Our goal at TGH is leveraging AI to help our team members focus on the aspects of their job that they need to feel better about the work that they do,” says Ms. Feinman. Specifically, she discussed examining the nurse manager role. “What we were asking of these nurse managers across systems is just too much.” Ms. Feinman states. 

Reimagining the nurse manager role through technology and AI optimizes operational workflows and empowers clinicians to operate at the top of their licensure. By reducing administrative burdens and enhancing decision-making support, AI-enabled tools allow clinicians to focus more on patient care, thereby fostering a resilient and motivated workforce.

Additionally, innovative strategies such as virtual enablement on the inpatient side are showing success maximizing clinician talent and improving staff resiliency. “If our team members are able to effectively manage and address patients virtually, and they can increase the number of patients they’re able to serve by leveraging that technology, then it’s better for the team member and better for the patient,” says Ms. Feinman. 

Mr. Smith highlighted how Amplifire’s AI capabilities facilitate rapid content development and deployment, significantly reducing the time and resources traditionally required for training. By automating routine tasks and enabling personalized learning pathways, Amplifire empowers healthcare organizations to scale their training initiatives without compromising individualized attention to learners.AI-enabled training not only enhances clinical proficiency but also plays a critical role in mitigating risks such as infection rates. By delivering targeted training modules based on real-time data analytics, healthcare systems can proactively address challenges like healthcare-associated infections, leading to improved patient safety and overall healthcare quality.

Amplifire and Tampa General Partnership Brings Innovation to Practice

“The partnership we have with Amplifire really exemplifies the reason we do this kind of innovation work,” says Ms. Feinman. “We are just scratching the surface on opportunities to collaborate across training and education,” says Mr. Smith, about the burgeoning partnership with TGH.

The insights shared underscore a transformative shift in healthcare training paradigms. By embracing personalized, technology-driven approaches to training, healthcare organizations like Tampa General Hospital are not only enhancing clinical proficiency but also fostering a resilient workforce capable of delivering exceptional patient care.

To listen to the full podcast by Becker’s Healthcare, click here.

What did the pandemic do to distractions during online learning? 

It is hard to overstate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on everyday life. Downtown real estate markets collapsed as remote office work became the norm. Supply-chain issues caused widespread food insecurity and prescription medication shortages. Lockdowns even changed how birds sing.  

Education was similarly disrupted. Within weeks, over 90% of classrooms abruptly shifted from in-person to online. At the same time, the upheaval caused by lockdowns and students’ concerns about the virus caused them to report increased anxiety, difficulty sleeping, concentration problems, and greater susceptibility to distractions. 

Amplifire’s Dr. Matthew Hays and Scott Kustes teamed up with Dr. Elizabeth Bjork of our Science Advisory Board to investigate how this disruption affected learners’ ability to stay engaged while learning online. Because learners have interacted with the Amplifire platform over 4.5 billion times, there were more than enough data points to let the researchers quantify the impact of the pandemic. 

Their first step was to define what constituted an interruption. Over the course of five studies, they evaluated increasingly rigorous ways to detect within the data when a student became distracted, from simple mean-and-standard-deviation approaches to more advanced statistical methods. They then compared the interruption rate during the peak of lockdowns – April and May of 2020 – to the same period in the years before and after. The researchers had hypothesized that there would be clear increases in the frequency of interruptions when lockdowns were most intense. 

Instead, they found no effect of the pandemic.

We asked Dr. Hays to explain. “You’ll see these clickbait headlines that say ‘scientists stunned’ and it turns out they just found a bug that they didn’t think lived in that part of the country anymore,” he said. “But I really was stunned. We pulled the data in different ways and re-ran the analyses to make sure that we weren’t somehow missing an impact.”

The researchers consulted with several other experts in learning and metacognition to interpret the findings. The consensus that emerged: Because Amplifire was designed from the start to be used online, it was immune to the disruption that so dramatically affected classroom learning. 

The researchers’ findings and conclusions were published in the Journal of Intelligence, thus informing the broader scientific community about what we might expect from the next massive disruption of student learning. Further, the interruption-detection methods introduced can help educators identify frequently interrupted students (who may therefore be struggling to learn due to external factors rather than a lack of effort or aptitude). Click here to read the paper in full.

How Best to Track and Assess Employees’ Skills and Competencies

In today’s rapidly evolving workforce landscape, the need to track and assess employee competencies and skills has never been more crucial. From addressing worker shortages to meeting the demands of specialized industries like healthcare, organizations are facing unique challenges that require a more strategic approach to talent management. 

While the concept of competency tracking is not new, many organizations still struggle to implement it. Some rely on outdated methods such as physical binders and paper-based systems, which are ill-suited to meet the needs of the modern workforce. Even those with digital checklists may find them insufficient for upskilling initiatives. 

To ensure your organization stays ahead of the curve and operates to its fullest potential, it’s essential to expertly track and assess employee competencies. Here’s how: 

Centralize: Digitized Competency Checklists 

The first step in effective competency tracking is to centralize your systems using digitized checklists. Traditional paper-based methods are cumbersome, prone to errors, and difficult to update. By transitioning to digital platforms or tools, organizations can streamline the process of tracking competencies, making it easier to access, update, and analyze data in real-time. Centralization creates efficiency for learners and proctors and allows competencies to travel with the learner. Examples of platforms that do this well are Dossier and Kahuna.  

Upskill: In-depth Skills Tracking 

Beyond basic competency checklists, organizations must invest in in-depth skills tracking to fully understand employee capabilities. This involves capturing detailed information about individual skills, experiences, and qualifications. By tracking skills at a granular level, organizations can identify strengths and areas for improvement, enabling targeted training and development initiatives. In-depth skills tracking also provides valuable insights for workforce planning and succession management. 

Assess: Identify Gaps and Personalize the Learning Experience 

While checklists are useful for tracking known competencies, they only provide part of the picture. It’s equally important to assess employee competencies to identify gaps and personalize the learning experience. Traditional assessments often fall short in this regard, as they fail to account for individual learning styles and preferences. Adaptive learning platforms offer a solution by delivering personalized assessments that target specific areas of need. By tailoring learning experiences to each employee, organizations can ensure they receive the information they need to succeed, without wasting time and resources on redundant training. 

Unite: End-to-End Tracking and Assessments 

In many organizations, skills tracking and assessments are treated as separate processes, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for improvement. Moreover, existing assessment methods may lack the sophistication needed to deliver meaningful insights. To address these challenges, Amplifire’s Workforce Competency offering integrates skills tracking and assessments under one roof. By partnering with leading competency management software like Dossier and Kahuna, Amplifire provides organizations with a comprehensive solution for tracking, assessing, and improving employee competencies. This end-to-end approach enables seamless integration between tracking, assessment, and proof of knowledge, empowering organizations to optimize their talent management strategies. 

Effective competency tracking and assessment are non-negotiable for organizations looking to thrive in today’s dynamic workforce environment. By centralizing systems, investing in in-depth skills tracking, personalizing the learning experience, and integrating tracking and assessment functions, organizations can ensure they have the right talent in place to achieve their goals.

Role of Generative AI in eLearning Content

When delving into the excitement surrounding the integration of generative AI into eLearning content development, perspectives vary depending on who you ask.  The promise of shortened timelines and faster outputs is often thrilling to the C-suite. However, when content authors are asked about the tangible benefits of generative AI in their workflow, their responses might not be as enthused. 

This is because, for content authors, generative AI has yet to significantly simplify their lives. While it aids in cutting corners and expediting development time, it inadvertently demands more time during the quality assurance phase. For generative AI to truly make a meaningful impact on the lives of savvy content authors, it must streamline the development process without introducing unnecessary obstacles. 

Amplifire’s own internal content team is seeing a significant reduction in content development time. Here are the ways we see AI helping authors, rather than adding to the content overload: 

1. Planning 

Authors invest a substantial amount of time meticulously outlining courses and crafting course questions. This involves listing learning objectives, themes, topics, and organizing them in adherence to instructional design principles. Traditionally, this planning occurs outside the platform used for development and entails multiple steps to create the course shell and overview. This is precisely where AI intervention can be transformative. By integrating AI, authors can input their objectives, topics, and source material, allowing AI to construct the shell and streamline the course creation process. This not only provides authors with a significant head start on course creation but also enables them to allocate more time to refine the details. It also reduces reliance on external tools like Excel, centralizing the planning process and improves the accuracy and consistency of course layouts. 

2. Content Generation 

Many authors already leverage generative AI as a tool to overcome writer’s block. While creating course/question shells may be a relatively straightforward task, fleshing out the details can be more challenging. With generative AI assisting the writing process, authors can redirect their focus toward enhancing the content rather than grappling with ideation. Additionally, with the shell generated from source content, the likelihood of factual errors is reduced, thereby minimizing the need for increased quality assurance time. Additionally, Ensures a high standard of content quality and relevance. 

As we navigate the evolving landscape of eLearning content development, the role of generative AI stands out as a transformative force with both promise and challenges. The key lies in the strategic application of AI, particularly in the planning and content generation phases. While challenges persist, these real-world efficiency gains underscore the potential of generative AI to be a valuable ally in creating more robust and engaging eLearning content. As technology continues to evolve, it holds the promise of not only meeting but exceeding the expectations of content authors in the ever-evolving landscape of educational content creation. 

Want to learn more about how Amplifire is harnessing AI to super-charge our authors’ toolkit? Reach out!

6 Takeaways from the 2024 Healthcare Alliance Virtual Summit

The 2024 Healthcare Alliance Virtual Summit brought together over 30 prominent health systems for four compelling presentations and featured discussions from experts, including members of Amplifire’s distinguished Clinical Innovation Advisory Board and strategic advisor, Bruce Gillingham. Echoing the tradition of previous years, Alliance members from leading health systems shared groundbreaking solutions to the most pressing challenges in healthcare today. With this year’s theme focused on “Building a Workforce for the Future,” the discussions proved timely and insightful for healthcare leaders. 

For those who couldn’t attend the virtual event or are not yet members of the Healthcare Alliance, here are some key highlights offering a glimpse into the compelling conversations:

1. Investing in effective, adaptive learning and AI-powered content development enables rapid growth and sustainable scalability.

Dr. Toby Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Hamilton Health Box, set out with a clear objective: to establish standardized, scalable onboarding procedures catering to the diverse needs of trainees spanning a wide spectrum of clinical backgrounds. Leveraging Amplifire’s AI-powered content development platform, they have initiated the creation of 50 new onboarding courses, significantly expanding their course library. This strategic approach empowers them to remotely deliver comprehensive training to clinicians at scale, all while advancing their organizational growth trajectory.

2. Virtual, adaptive learning paired with simulation provides an effective vehicle for standardized, high-quality training at scale without extensive resources.

Julianne DeMartino, MD, FACOG and Erin Higgins, MD, FACOG of Cleveland Clinic lead the charge in obstetrics simulation training, recognized for their pioneering efforts in the field. As many in the specialty know, simulation remains a costly endeavor, often deterred by concerns over maximizing returns on investment. Yet, Cleveland Clinic navigates these challenges adeptly by bolstering efficiencies through standardized training within a blended learning framework. Their objective was clear: to craft a blended training program aligning with regulatory standards while optimizing resource-intensive simulation sessions. Leveraging brain science-based, adaptive learning and smart refreshers, they ensure that training remains both standardized and adaptive, effectively complementing simulation practices. This approach not only ensures compliance across localized departments but also addresses specific concerns unique to each setting.

3. The ability to pinpoint previously invisible instances of confidently held misinformation is particularly valuable to health equity efforts.

For Dr. Usha Dayal, pediatric neurologist and Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at Atrium, the ability to expose commonly held misinformation plays a huge role in transforming DEI training, which learners often view as a box to check. The Amplifire platform exposed confidently held misinformation in 1/3 of learners – who were the most inclined to say training was pointless or that they didn’t need it based on learner feedback. As it turned out, they needed it most. Atrium swiftly responded by delivering tailored training content in a non-judgmental manner, leveraging adaptive learning techniques and personalized insights for hands-on coaching, ensuring maximum impact and engagement. 

4. Amplifire RCM training has been shown to reduce patient ID errors, helping health systems avoid the financial costs and adverse patient outcomes associated with those errors.

Industry changemakers at Providence and UC Health are embracing the challenge of not only envisioning the workforce of the future but cultivating it. Like many other healthcare systems, they grapple with substantial turnover rates and large pools of diverse, yet relatively inexperienced talent. In response to these challenges, they sought an efficient method to swiftly onboard new hires while simultaneously mitigating the prevalence of RCM patient identification errors, known for their costly implications. Implementing adaptive training solutions yielded tangible results, manifesting in a notable reduction of patient ID errors. This success underscores the efficacy of brain science-based learning methodologies in addressing contemporary workforce challenges within the healthcare sector. 

5. The memory problem results in massive, unwarranted clinical variation and is what lies at the core of current performance levels for healthcare.

Dr. Brent James of Amplifire’s Clinical Innovation Advisory Board offered his observations from the summit and made a key point about the relationship between human memory and error, and its implication for healthcare outcomes. He said, “The core of many of these problems [in healthcare] is human memory. The memory problem results in massive, unwarranted clinical variation. That’s what lies at the core of current performance levels for healthcare. There are two ways to solve the memory problem. One is to develop better tools to address what we can hold in our minds. That’s where Amplifire really hits. The other is a parallel piece, systems within which people work that help organize knowledge and information in a consumable form, extending human memory. How do we think about those components and carefully coordinate them to massively extend our capability?” This claim harkens back to the article he co-published with other CIAB and patient safety experts, emphasizing the potency of standardized systems of best practice reinforced through effective training. 

6. New things are here!

Amplifire unveiled its new workforce competency offering, designed to address the pronounced workforce challenges in healthcare. Collaborating with Dossier, Kahuna, and others, Amplifire’s Workforce Competency program emphasizes competency and skills-based training, prioritizing adaptability and efficiency to meet the evolving needs of modern learning environments.  

Additionally, Amplifire announced plans for the new authoring platform, equipped with AI-powered content generation features. For these features, Amplifire won two Brandon Hall Group Excellence in Technology awards in the “Best Advance in Content Authoring Technology” and “Best Advance in AI and Machine Learning.” This recognition underscores our commitment to excellence in eLearning and our dedication to staying ahead of the AI curve to provide the best learning experiences. 

We extend our sincerest gratitude to all the esteemed presenters, speakers, and attendees for their contributions to these enriching discussions. A special thanks is owed to the members of our Healthcare Alliance whose pioneering work and dedication to innovation are driving positive change in the industry. Your commitment to improving patient outcomes and creating fulfilling work environments for healthcare professionals is truly commendable. Together, we are shaping a brighter future for healthcare, and we are immensely grateful for your remarkable efforts and collaboration. 

Browse the highlights from the Summit here. 

To learn more about the Healthcare Alliance and membership, request a consultation. https://amplifire.com/request-a-consultation/ 

Supporting Your Workforce During the Holidays: Prioritizing employee well-being for a healthy work environment through the new year and beyond

The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration, but it can also bring stress and anxiety for many employees. Here are some interesting stats by the American Heart Association:

• The majority of Americans (51%) indicate that it takes them weeks to recover from the stress of the holidays.
• 71% percent of respondents express that their main regret post-holidays is not dedicating enough time to relax and fully enjoy the season.
• 63% of participants assert that the holiday season is more stressful than tax season.
• 69% struggle to prioritize healthy eating, 64% find it difficult to maintain regular exercise, and 56% face challenges in getting enough sleep during the festive season.
• 79% of those surveyed agree that, during the holidays, their focus on creating special moments for others often results in neglecting their own needs.

The numbers have spoken: your workforce needs extra support during this busy time of the year. To promote employee well-being, health system leaders must make a dedicated effort to support their staff in practical ways. Here are some effective strategies for encouraging work-life balance and overall wellness during the festive season and beyond:

1. Make time off a priority

Recognize that employees may feel overwhelmed as the year ends. The above survey by the American Heart Association has a common theme: people feel there’s not enough time to take care of themselves. Prevent this problem by communicating early about priorities and timelines for the upcoming year. This allows employees to plan their time off and enjoy quality moments with loved ones.

2. Foster mental health dialogue

The stress of the season impacts mental health. Employers play a crucial role in fostering open communication about well-being. According to the American Psychiatric Association, which polled adults about holiday stress, a majority of adults who experience stress (70%) said they are comfortable talking with others about their stress during this time — although only 41% said they actually do so. Have an outreach plan, acknowledge potential stressors, and transparently discuss the challenges. Remind them of available mental health benefits to create a supportive environment that reduces the stigma around seeking help.

3. Embrace diversity and inclusion

Holidays have different meanings for different people. Embrace diversity by acknowledging various customs and celebrations. Plan inclusive gatherings that reflect the cultural richness of your workforce. Avoid making celebrations mandatory, ensuring everyone feels a sense of belonging.

4. Rethink gift giving

Mandated gift exchanges can add unnecessary stress. Instead, focus on alternative ways to foster camaraderie, like workplace decorations, exchanging cards, or hosting small parties. This shift not only relieves pressure but also promotes a positive and inclusive atmosphere.

5. Encourage patient conversations

In the healthcare industry, trust plays a vital role in effective patient care. Facilitate meaningful connections between healthcare providers and patients by encouraging small talk. These interactions build trust, provide valuable health information, and enhance overall satisfaction. By understanding patients’ holiday plans and habits, healthcare providers gain insights into their well-being.

Furthermore, these conversations bring immense satisfaction to healthcare providers. Every interaction, whether it’s discussing vacation plans or favorite foods, forms a meaningful connection between providers and patients.

6. Foster personalized professional growth

Despite the challenges of staffing shortages, it is crucial to prioritize professional development for your employees. In the year ahead, acknowledge employees’ aspirations for professional growth and invest in training opportunities that align with the evolving needs of the modern workforce. Learning is never a one-size-fits-all experience, so be sure your learning investment can adapt to the personalized needs of your staff.

Demonstrating commitment to the growth of your employees shows that your organization is dedicated to supporting long-term goals. Whether employees are upskilling, trying a new path, or brushing up on critical knowledge, the whole organization benefits.

By implementing these strategies, employers can prioritize employee well-being, fostering a positive workplace culture throughout the year, not just during the holidays.