Establishing standards for intranet on-line education

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Clinical staff face significant time and resource limitations for professional development.
• Disseminating educational materials and health information online offers an efficient solution.
• Online programming requires organization, comprehensiveness, and up-to-date content.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and economic benefits of online educational programs for clinical staff.
• To demonstrate the value of online training in meeting mandatory continuing education requirements.
• To highlight the flexibility and accessibility of online learning.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an online educational program at UWMF starting January 2002.
• Tracking employee participation and the number of continuing education credits (CEs) provided.
• Analyzing the cost-effectiveness of online CEs compared to external options and the value of time saved.

Main Results:

• Steady increase in employee participation in online programs since inception.
• Provided 1,870 CEs for Certified Medical Assistants (CMAs) through 912 sessions over 3.5 years.
• Estimated cost savings of $18,700 for CMAs by avoiding external CE costs, plus economic benefits of reduced time away from work.

Conclusions:

• Online programming is a practical and effective method for ongoing staff education, enhancing consistency and meeting diverse learning needs.
• The flexibility of online training improves staff coverage and allows employees to manage learning within their work schedules.
• Online educational initiatives demonstrate significant economic advantages and contribute to efficient staff development.