Session: The case for disrupting, revolutionizing OR, SPD education

Editor's Note

Disrupting traditional education is imperative to improve quality, retention, and safety in OR and SPD environments, said Hank Balch, Founder and President of First Case Media, in a Wednesday morning session at the 2024 OR Manager Conference.

Balch described his overall vision for education as ensuring that “the team has the information and the desire to do the right thing when they need to every single day that they clock in. And if that’s the goal, then we’d better get with it, because the world is changing.”

In an era of advancing AI, social media changing content consumption habits, and other disruptors, faster, more accessible learning formats are essential, Balch said. Examples ways SPDs and ORs can adapt include:

• Personalized learning. Particularly With AI, leaders can quickly adapt content for different types of learners. Technology already being developed can” learn how you like to learn, take the same information, convert into way you like to learn, and give it back to you in your preferred style/mechanism,” Balch said.
• Offering micro-education, or delivering information on policies or competencies in bite-sized pieces. Using AI, leaders can distill complex information into simplified, digestible parts, distributed through short videos, infographics, and quizzes. This format supports continuous learning, allowing staff to review topics on-demand outside of traditional settings. Micro-education can even be delivered via social media, Balch said, noting that he could hypothetically add text to each of his presentation slides and present them as individual posts to deliver the CE-approved content.
• Developing an internal podcast. Podcasts are versatile and “hyper-consumable,” Balch said, in that they can be listened to while doing other activities. A 10-minute, department-specific podcast “can be a game-changer" for ongoing training and policy updates. Rather than delving into the text, listeners can learn from listening to a conversation between relevant stakeholders, including policymakers, managers/leaders, and peers affected by the updates.
• Gamification. Incorporating tools like Kahoot! and trivia games can reinforce competencies without relying solely on presentations or printouts.

Balch concluded by preparing audience members to expect resistance when pursuing changes in their own organizations. He urged them to “push through” and embrace innovative learning practices, as “this is the only way we’re going to keep up” with the fast-evolving healthcare environment.