Learning to Change

How do you feel about learning? 

Do you remember your school years as an exciting time, or do you just recall exam anxiety? 

Whatever the answer, it is OK. 

A recent presentation on adult learning on #rebeljam15 started with "Have an open mind". As adult learners, we might be conditioned by past behaviours but we can also approach learning in a novel, productive way (if we choose to). That is because the learning science also followed an incredible evolution and has become accessible, fun and rewarding, and more than ever- necessary.

There is no question about why we need to be life long learners (LLL). Here are some of the many benefits of LLL:



 “First benefit is to help us to adapt to change. A lifelong learner will keep up with society by staying current and aware of changes in such areas as technology, news and political trends or finance and money issues […]. A lifelong learner stays on top of their field so that when opportunities come knocking, they can answer immediately”.


As healthcare professionals, once we finish our studies that give us our designation, we continue to improve our knowledge through

1.    non-formal learning (i.e. skills learnt on the job)

2.    informal learning (or experiential learning, what we learn from daily activities)

3.    formal type of learning (i.e. e-learning, online education modules)

Formal learning is not only costly for organizations, but needs constant updating to meet requirements. From personal observation, completing the (few) annual e-learning modules create frustration with staff (“where do I find it again?”), are completed mechanically (because they are repetitive) and are ineffective in creating a rewarding learning experience.

While mandatory learning is a topic of hot debate, it is a method that is easy to administer and measure. One of the Required Organization Practices (ROP) recommended by Accreditation Canada is Client Safety Education and Training:

The organization delivers client safety training and education at least annually to the organization’s leaders, staff, service providers, and volunteers, including education targeted to specific client safety focus areas. 

Knowledge and techniques in healthcare are expanding at fast speed. Learning also has become an exciting and fast paced endeavour, focusing on individual experience and rewards. For example digital badging for professional development is an exciting concept used widely by large organizations. Training CAN be appealing to employees and measurable for employers, with badges that recognize (and reward!) incremental learning, and at the same time build evidence on professional development and performance.

Are yearly modules enough to keep staff updated and driven to learn more in today’s healthcare? Research shows that in just five years, half of what we learn in medical school will be obsolete. Are you doing more than the “mandatory” modules required by your organization? 

Organizations need to make the concepts of skills updating and continuous learning a priority (by allotting time for completion of modules by staff), accessible (allowing remote access to the courses) and motivating. 

And us, we need to choose why and how we learn: to change or to be changed.