Articles-Thought Leadership Lifelong Learning: The Key to Remaining Relevant | Page 3

When asked the important question about how Lifelong Learning relates to
job satisfaction and engagement, Diane had this to say:
A “win-win” scenario is created when organizations invest in team member improvement and continuing education/
competency as part of supporting lifelong learning. Employees are encouraged to build new skillsets and competencies.
In turn, employees offer their employer a broader span of experience and wisdom. Employees feel invested in and
become loyal to the organization, improving satisfaction and overall engagement in the workplace. This engagement
allows team members to care more about the outcomes of their contributions and feel valued by the organization.
For example, it’s been proven statistically that when hospitals invest in nurse residency programs, retention rates for
new graduate nurses increase significantly over national benchmarks. The hospital benefits with a better return on
recruiting/onboarding costs and gains cohorts of new nurses engaged and satisfied with the organization.
Healthcare leaders are critical in facilitating Lifelong Learning for their
employees, says Diane
Some people are naturally curious and independently seek out opportunities for career advancement, continuous
learning, and improved skillsets. Others need direction and coaching to effectively engage in continuous lifelong
learning activities. Healthcare leaders can contribute and facilitate lifelong learning by:
Setting a good example. It always starts with you. Model behaviors of a lifelong learner. Be authentic. You
must also have experienced lifelong learning to promote and coach others to value it. When you participate in a
learning activity, share what you learned formally and informally with the broader team of colleagues.
Seeking learning opportunities. Find relevant learning opportunities to recommend to your team. Encourage
group and individual learning venues and take into consideration the variety of learning needs and preferences of
the team.
Providing continuing education tools. Support the use of tools in the workplace designed to support lifelong
learning principles. Providing access to tools in daily practice allows clinicians to learn and continuously improve in
the practice environment.
Having development conversations. Build regular performance
and development conversations into discussions related to
continuous learning goals and objectives. Encourage
career advancement and involvement in new learning
to augment current knowledge.
Promoting advanced degree completion. All clinical
disciplines in healthcare are advancing educational
requirements and providing adult learners with
opportunities to participate in obtaining adjacent
additional degrees as well as advanced practice degrees.
As a leader, identify team members ready for this next step.
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