LinkedIn Learning helps Children's nurses develop new skills and earn professional certifications
SUCCESS STORY
Employees at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (Children's) like to say that the hospital is more of a small town than a medical institution. The hospital system employs more than 12,700 people across its clinical and administrative staffs, and it treats nearly 1 million patients each year.
Managing an organization of this size is always a challenge, but especially during the pandemic. The increased demand for medical services during the pandemic and the large number of nurses leaving the profession due to burnout made it hard for hospitals to train and retain their staffs and Children's was not immune to this challenge.
To help address this, Children's sought to establish a comprehensive training program to keep its nurses more engaged with the organization and to make Children's a place where people could build long, successful careers and advance in the nursing field. Children's thought LinkedIn Learning would be the perfect complement to LinkedIn's recruiting tools. Using LinkedIn, Children's was able to help recruit, train and develop a new class of nurses for its world-class children's hospital.
THE CHALLENGE
Increase development and engagement amid a historic talent crunch in the industry
Many nurses hired during the talent shortage had little clinical experience due to using e-learning for their training, and highly-trained nurses were receiving lucrative offers to travel for work and fill shortages elsewhere. Children's needed a training program to both develop the skills nurses missed out on due to distance learning and broaden their clinical knowledge.
The program would also have to cater to the nurses' hectic schedules. Nurses work long, irregular hours, making it difficult to conduct training sessions on-site. To encourage nurses to participate, Children's would have to accommodate their schedules and illustrate how using the program would help its nurses advance in their careers.
The net result would be more developmental opportunities for nurses, a better perception of Children's among nursing professionals and better care for patients at Children's.
THE SOLUTION
A flexible, robust, officially-licensed skill development program that helps nurses advance their careers
Children's chose LinkedIn Learning in part because the platform is flexible. LinkedIn Learning courses can be completed online, on a person's own time, or even from a smartphone. This flexibility suits Children's nurses, who work in a fast-paced, always-on environment and don't have time to complete training while on the job.
And whereas most training programs are narrowly focused on a specific skill set, LinkedIn Learning offers a library of over 20,000 courses across a wide range of professional, creative, and technical subjects - including many soft skills nurses missed out on by not being able to do clinical training during the pandemic. Children's nurses learned how to more effectively communicate with doctors, patients, and patient's families, and how to take a more active role in their professional development.
LinkedIn Learning's content is so detailed that Children's was able to get 20 courses accredited with the Georgia Nursing Association, the largest professional association for registered nurses in the state of Georgia. Accreditation with the GNA allows Children's nurses to earn continuing education (CE) credits by completing certain courses on the platform. These CE credits can go toward earning and maintaining certifications in specialized fields of care, such as pediatrics, helping nurses move up in the organization and advance in their careers. While some training programs can feel like an academic exercise, LinkedIn Learning has a tangible impact on the careers of nurses at Children's.
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THE RESULTS
High participation rates
Nurses have completed more than 100 courses so far, many of them doing the training outside of the hospital. Those who try it keep coming back - a majority of the nurses active on LinkedIn have completed several courses.
Career advancement
Of Children's employees actively using LinkedIn Learning, 23% have received promotions within the past two years, nearly twice the industry average.
A culture of learning
The on-demand platform has freed up the human resources team to conduct more in-person training sessions for senior staff members, making LinkedIn Learning an integral part of the company's holistic approach to employee development.
“LinkedIn Learning has sparked a culture shift. Word is spreading throughout the nurse population that they can use this platform to further their careers. When they do try it, they don’t complete just one course — they do three, four, five. It’s useful information for them and they tell us, ‘Thank you for delivering what we need.’”
About Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
As the only freestanding pediatric healthcare system in Georgia, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is the trusted leader in caring for kids. The not-for-profit organization’s mission is to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow through more than 60 pediatric specialties and programs, top healthcare professionals, and leading research and technology. Children’s is one of the largest pediatric clinical care providers in the country, managing more than one million patient visits annually at three hospitals, Marcus Autism Center, the Center for Advanced Pediatrics, urgent care centers and neighborhood locations. Consistently ranked among the top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has impacted the lives of kids in Georgia, across the United States and around the world for more than 100 years thanks to generous support from the community
INDUSTRY:
Healthcare
No. OF EMPLOYEES:
12,700
HEADQUARTERS:
Atlanta, GA
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