The healthcare industry is constantly developing with new technology, research, and treatments coming up every day.
To make pace with it, healthcare professionals have to stay up-to-date with the latest developments through continuous learning to provide the best possible care to their patients.
Traditional learning methods, however, are boring, tedious, and time-consuming.
That’s why healthcare organizations are always searching for new and innovative methods to improve training.
This is where gamification and microlearning come in.
These components make learning an enjoyable experience for healthcare professionals and not only expand their knowledge and abilities but also make it more effective.
In this blog, we will delve deeper into understanding how these two techniques work, their importance, and how healthcare organizations can get benefitted from them.
Ready to dive in? Let’s start.
What is Gamification in Healthcare Education?
Gamification is the use of game-like elements in non-game environments to boost learner motivation and engagement.
It can be used to teach healthcare workers in a playful and engaging manner while still imparting useful information that can be utilized in real-life situations.
Let’s understand it with an example.
Imagine you are a medical professional who has just completed a long shift at the hospital. The last thing you want to do is endure a tedious training module while you’re physically and emotionally drained. But would you be able to play a video game in such a state? Maybe yes.
What if the training module was designed like a video game that you would enjoy at any point of time? What if you could compete with your coworkers to see who could finish the module the quickest and get points and badges for accomplishing tasks? Has it started sounding interesting, suddenly? Gamification exactly does this with your learning-it becomes fun and engaging.
Benefits Of Gamification in Learning
Gamification has a profound impact on your learning. There are several reasons why learners are preferring it over traditional methods. Let’s look at some of them.
- Improved Retention: Just like a video game always wins to get your attention and make you stick to it for a long time, gamification does the same with your learning.
You find it more of an enjoyable experience rather than an uninteresting task that fails to hold your attention even for a short time.
According to research by Zippia, 67% of students find gamified learning more engaging and motivating than traditional classes. - Increased Engagement: There is a reason why mothers always ask their children to complete a task if they want chocolate. We, adults, aren’t different. Everyone loves rewards. It boosts our motivation.
In fact, in a survey conducted by TalentLMS, 78% of respondents said that gamification made them more engaged in learning. That’s why when you earn points, badges, and other rewards while learning, you find it more fascinating.
- Real-World Experience: Virtual simulations and other game-like techniques give you exposure to real-world scenarios, making learning more practical for you.
How can You Use Gamification Into Your Medical Content?
Gamification in healthcare education is not a new concept. The American Heart Association has developed numerous learning courses to train healthcare professionals on how to perform CPR and other life-saving techniques with an interesting approach.
These courses have been shown to improve retention of the techniques taught and have been widely adopted by healthcare organizations around the world. Virtual simulations are one of the best and most used gamified techniques in learning.
These simulations can replicate real-life scenarios that healthcare professionals may encounter, such as emergencies, patient interactions, or surgical procedures.
When the learners are put in a simulated environment, they can practice critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills in a safe and controlled setting. Another way to incorporate gamification in healthcare education is through the use of escape rooms.
Just like the popular puzzle-solving games, healthcare professionals can be tasked with solving puzzles related to patient care, diagnosis, and treatment. This not only helps to reinforce practical skills but also encourages teamwork and collaboration among colleagues.
Microlearning in Healthcare Education
The term “microlearning” may have given you a fair idea of what it is but if not, let’s break it down for you. Microlearning is the delivery of content in small, bite-sized modules that can be completed quickly and easily.
These small contents can be used to provide just-in-time training on specific topics, skills, or procedures. Think about how you learn a new skill, such as cooking.
You don’t start by reading a 100-page recipe book or watching a 2-hour-long cooking tutorial. Instead, you start with a simple recipe or a short video that teaches you the basics.
Microlearning applies this same principle to healthcare education, breaking down training into short, manageable chunks that learners can easily fit into their busy schedules.
Plus, it can be delivered in a variety of formats, including videos, podcasts, and infographics, making it more accessible to learners with different learning styles.
Interesting Fact: According to a survey by the Brandon Hall Group, 83% of organizations that use microlearning see an increase in employee engagement, while 78% see an increase in productivity.
Examples of Microlearning In Healthcare Education
Many universities and platforms like Medline University, and ClinicalKey offer bite-sized modules on various aspects of learning materials and patient experience, such as communication skills, empathy, and teamwork. As the training is into short, manageable chunks, learners can easily retain information and apply it in real-life situations.
An effective way to incorporate microlearning in healthcare education is through the use of mobile learning apps. Mobile learning apps allow learners to access training modules on their smartphones or tablets, anytime and anywhere. For instance, the American Heart Association developed a mobile learning app called “Pocket First Aid & CPR” that provides just-in-time training on basic life support and emergency care. The app has been downloaded over 10 trillion times and has helped save countless lives.
To Wrap it Up
Gamification and microlearning can act as innovative additions to healthcare education, making learning more engaging, memorable, and effective.
As the healthcare industry is rapidly growing and healthcare professionals are facing new challenges every day, it’s more important than ever to adopt new approaches to education and training.
Healthcare organizations can leverage the power of gamification and microlearning in their learning materials, and ensure that their staff are well-trained, engaged, and prepared to offer the best possible care to their patients.
At Audio-Bridge, we are determined to create the best e-learning materials for healthcare workers and medical practitioners that take into account their needs and integrate all the needed elements that make learning easy and fun for them.
So, if you are looking to upgrade your learning materials or create new content for your medical practitioners that isn’t boring and ineffective, get in touch with us.