Back to Report OverviewBenefits of staff education
Different perspectives emerged when managers and individual participants identified the most beneficial aspects of their staff education program.
We know that staff competency is crucial to good care outcomes, and manager and individual respondent groups agreed that competency was the most beneficial aspect of staff education. Both groups also identified staff performance outcomes in the top three benefits of staff education, but to varying degrees.
Beyond those areas of agreement, some understandable differences arose among managers and individual contributors. Managers were more focused on the benefits of ensuring compliance, and individual contributors saw engaging employees with staff education as a stronger benefit.
“Thinking about the data strategically, we find that those two elements actually influence one another.
“If you have engaged, well-educated employees, they tend to stay longer. And educated and experienced employees are better prepared to support their organization’s regulatory compliance.”
Vince Baiera, BSN
Partner in post-acute care solutions at Relias
As we look at training’s perceived positive effects, it’s important to also examine how organizations are actually measuring the results of their staff education.
Impact of staff development and training
The most common way managers said their organizations measure the impact of staff development and training were course completions.
Staff retention and patient experience surveys were among the other factors noted. The links between training and cost savings are less commonly tracked.
Takeaway
Leaders can do more to identify the payoffs from their staff development and training programs. Having data to show how education enhances employee engagement, encourages retention, saves money, and improves patient or client experiences can garner stronger support for L&D programs.
Healthcare leaders are constantly looking for ways to improve their financial results.
With that goal in mind, the low percentage of managers who said they measure the connection between staff development and cost savings (8%) is a missed opportunity.
If L&D teams can show the financial payoff of staff education, they can encourage stronger executive support for their budget needs.
