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View All ProductsMitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.
Learn MoreAfter 25 years of practice as an anesthesiologist, Dr. John Yosaitis has plenty of experience with continuing education in the healthcare arena. He’s seen the good and bad, and now as Medical Director of the MedStar Simulation Training & Education Lab (SiTEL), the education and technology group developing learning solutions for associates at MedStar Health, he is helping develop programs that steer clear of many continuing-education pitfalls.
“I’ve been through a lot of school, and the most negative experience I have unfortunately is the most common experience,” says Dr. Yosaitis, who also is an associate professor at the Integrated Learning Center at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. “It’s something we call ‘surface learning,’ and that’s what most of us do in something called ‘school.’ You’re given a lot of information and you cram for the exam because the teacher told you to, and then after the exam you forget most of the material. You’re really just touching the surface of what it’s all about.”
On the flip side, he says a positive (and also painful) experience was his residency, where “you have a real learning community, the other residents. You could see what others were doing and you had mentors who gave you a lot of feedback and you really felt where you were on the continuum from novice to expert. You got a continuous feedback as to where you were on that continuum and you were getting evaluated, but also you were given guidance on where you can be. That was deep learning.”
The Importance of a Learning Community
That kind of team environment is crucial to providing staying power to what’s being taught, Dr. Yosaitis adds.
“If you want to become an expert there absolutely needs to be some sort of learning community that you are a part of, and there needs to be a leader there who’s giving you the feedback to tell you how you are doing in that community,” he says. “You need to figure it out yourself, and you need to be guided as to how to get better.”
Lessons for Continuing Education in Healthcare
That type of setup is driving successful healthcare continuing education, and improving patient outcomes alongside the opportunities for more and better learning.
“Education done incorrectly does nothing but frustrate the practitioner,” he explains. “It takes time away and can give them a feeling that they are competent and stop them on their journey to expert or mastery. A lot of the education now being done gives feedback and assessment, telling the learners that they’re just fine, which can stop them from yearning for more or stop them from continuing on to become an expert.”
As an example, he points to some ways in which medical students are educated that may be less than optimal.
“Many practitioners in academic medical settings feel like they are great teachers. It’s really easy to teach a med student. You give them some information and they’re thirsty. They will come and will learn anything you give them, and they will be ready for that test no matter what it is,” he says. “It’s the same with a junior- or senior-high student: if you give them some information you don’t need much of an explanation—they’ll learn it and they’ll be ready for that test and they’ll be ready for the final exam. That’s what I refer to as surface learning. They’ll probably forget it very quickly and they don’t ask a lot of questions. You give them the material and they know it.”
Adult Learners Are Different
Now, fast forward to adult learners, such as medical students in their residencies. That’s when physicians go from being pedagogical to anagogical, from kids to adults, Dr. Yosaitis says.
“During residency after the first or second year, that’s when physicians start asking, ‘Why do I need to know this?’ They’re all of a sudden coming to the table with a lot of experience. They already know how to do most of the things that they are expected to do so, if you give them some information they want to know how it’s going to help them.”
It’s at this point that surface learning no longer works and, if these students aren’t exposed to a new and different style, they will be stymied in their educational path forward, Dr. Yosaitis says.
“You can lose them really quickly if you are teaching them something that they don’t think they need to know,” he says. “They will tune out immediately. It’s a big challenge.”
About John Yosaitis
Dr. John Yosaitis is Medical Director of the MedStar Simulation Training & Education Lab (SiTEL), the education and technology group developing learning solutions for associates at MedStar Health, as well as the Integrated Learning Center at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, where he also is an Associate Professor. A former biomedical engineer, Dr. Yosaitis began his medical career at the National Institutes of Health as a clinical anesthesiologist and researcher. Since 2000, Dr. Yosaitis has served MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Georgetown School of Medicine as both a pediatric and adult transplant anesthesiologist and an educator. Dr. Yosaitis received his medical degree from Rutgers University. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at George Washington University and his fellowship in transplant anesthesia at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. He is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology and is a member of several distinguished professional associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
This blog post is taken from a HealthStream Second Opinions Podcast that was recorded recently. To hear Dr. Yosaitis’ full discussion, click here.HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsHealthStream offers professional training and education on how to best optimize your reimbursement process within your healthcare organization.
View All ReimbursementTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ResuscitationIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsLearn more about HealthStream's Provider Credentialing, privileging, & enrollment solutions.
View All CredentialingExperience standardized and centralized healthcare credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
View All ProductsNCQA-certified CVO verification services for initial and re-credentialing files in an overflow or full-service capacity for healthcare organizations.
View All ProductsSearch, review, and add providers into the Epic provider master file with our Epic app integration, Provider Validate.
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View All SchedulingHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
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