Continuous on-the-job learning often struggles to gain priority in a task-oriented culture that emphasizes efficiency and immediate results. Health professionals are frequently overwhelmed by heavy workloads, tight schedules, and the urgency of patient care or community health needs, leaving limited time for reflective, skill-building activities. This type of environment can create a tension between the need for continuous learning, essential for adapting to new evidence-based practices and technologies, and the pressure to meet operational demands. To address this added pressure for keeping up with the skill requirements of high demand roles, integrated learning approaches that embed development opportunities within routine workflows are critical to bridging the gap and fostering a culture of learning amidst competing priorities.
Proximate Learning addresses the challenge of competing priorities in healthcare and public health by embedding education and skill development directly into the context of day-to-day tasks. This approach emphasizes learning that is immediate, relevant, and closely aligned with the learner's work environment, reducing the need for time-consuming, off-site training sessions. By leveraging real-world scenarios, peer collaboration, and just-in-time resources, Proximate Learning transforms routine workflows into opportunities for growth. Using learning agility, we promote adaptive problem-solving and continuous improvement without detracting from operational efficiency, making it an effective strategy in task-oriented cultures where time and focus are at a premium.
Using our proximate approach, we identify areas for learning and development where professionals are challenged enough to grow but not so much that they become overwhelmed, frustrated, or disengaged. We use scaffolding, where support is gradually reduced as professionals gain competence. The result is the application of new concepts, knowledge, skills and development of a culture of learning across departments, organizations and systems.
One technique we use to create continuous learning is through expert facilitation of new concepts and ideas in regularly scheduled meetings. Instead of scheduling separate time for learning, we challenge our clients to use 15-minutes for teaching new skills. During this time, an expert facilitator guides the group in reviewing real-time data as it relates to improving current practices. As team members discuss strategies, the facilitator introduces evidence-based practices, models problem-solving techniques, and encourages collaborative brainstorming. This form of learning allows for critical thought to occur not in silos but as a collective and consistent flow of new ideas, with a problem-based approach.
Comments