State of Healthcare Training and Staff Development

Overview

This year's healthcare training survey of over 1,200 professionals reveals shifts since COVID-19 first rocked the foundations of healthcare organizations.

Across the industry, organizations adapted their procedures to address the pandemic, assessing everything from hiring and onboarding practices to care delivery and modalities to inclusion initiatives. As we analyzed the 2021 survey results, we saw some encouraging progress. However, the six key findings indicate that there is also clear room for growth.

Healthcare leaders and experts will find detailed insights in the full report especially beneficial while striving to move beyond immediate concerns and toward actions that support future strategic improvements.

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Key Findings

The 2021 survey data yielded six major findings. Explore the detailed insights, along with supporting data and takeaways, below.

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Finding 1

Only 40% of respondents with diversity, equity, and inclusion training require managers to participate. We drill down to explore DEI in different healthcare sectors.

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Finding 2

A third of respondents (33%) applauded their organizations for being adaptable to changing needs during the pandemic. Find out the top strengths in each sector.

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Finding 3

In terms of training priorities, employee wellness and self-care ranked third (57%) for healthcare respondents overall but first in one sector.

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Finding 4

Respondents recognize the impact of training and development on business goals, but only 32% chose ROI as a benefit of their staff education programs. What ranked higher?

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Finding 5

Research once again shows how important communication is to staff, with 21% seeing room for improvement. What other weak spots did they point out?

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Finding 6

Analyzing different types of data to inform training assignments still is not the norm, with less than a third (32%) of organizations using data that way. Size does matter though.

The 2021 Full Report

Download the full 2021 report to deep dive into the six findings and identify sustainable strategies to help fulfill your mission amid inevitable and unexpected change.

Questions About the Report

Read below for answers to frequently asked questions about the State of Healthcare Training and Staff Development Report.

The State of Healthcare Training and Staff Development Report is designed to update healthcare stakeholders on industry trends and inspire informed strategic planning for the future. It was first published in 2015, with additional editions in 2017 and 2020. This 2021 report is the latest edition.

This report is a resource for the executives driving organizational performance and the individuals overseeing and delivering training programs in healthcare.

With the data and analysis in this report, healthcare leaders can:

  • Benchmark current practices, investments, and beliefs compared with a national sample.
  • Identify ways to improve staff development and training opportunities.

This study was designed to generate insights regarding the current state of training. The report helps leaders and educators better understand training drivers and emerging influences, including perceptions on strengths and weaknesses of existing training programs. Additionally, they learn about perceived value and impact of staff development and training programs, which can help to demonstrate value and align to business objectives.

Armed with this information, they can make data-driven decisions to adjust their training delivery or curriculum and better advocate for their programs.

We had 1,290 healthcare professionals qualify to participate in this survey, with 44% of respondents holding executive or senior management positions, and 56% holding other key training stakeholder positions.

To learn more about the demographics or research methodology, download the full report.