• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

From the staff development bookshelf: Advertising staff development programs

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, August 5, 2011

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education!

Think about the way you advertise your education programs. Learners need to know what programs are offered, when and where they take place, and if pre-registration is necessary. Failure to provide this information may interfere with attendance and even create job performance problems if staff members fail to attend programs that are a condition of continued employment, such as advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) certification for critical care staff. The following are some strategies to help learners pay attention to upcoming events.

Paper trails: If you are posting hard copies of your education calendar on bulletin boards, in offices, etc., color-code specific offerings. For example, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification may be preceded by a red dot, critical care programs by a blue dot, or neurologic programs by a green dot. But why not write program titles in different color inks? The answer is that this would provide too much visual stimulation.

Closed-circuit television channel: Many organizations have a hospital television channel through which patients and staff members have access to information such as patient education programs, nutrition information, and other help tips.

Voicemail: Consider devoting a specific telephone extension through which staff members can access prerecorded messages about upcoming education activities and how to register for them.

E-mail: Education calendars, program registration, and even goals and objectives for learning activities can be sent via e-mail. Symbols and color-coding can easily be added to program information, thus maintaining visual stimulation. Information sent via e-mail can be printed and posted or multiple individual copies can be accessed.

Cell phones, BlackBerries, and iPods: Many employers have issued staff members BlackBerries, iPods, or similar devices for communication purposes. Why not allow them to access education information via these devices?

Organization intranet: Does your organization have an intranet page for employees? If so, consult with your information technology specialists to add an education page to the site. Staff development specialists can post program advertisements, content outlines, goals and objectives, and even handouts or self-learning materials (e.g. written continuing education activities) on the intranet. Sophisticated systems can also allow learners to pre-register for a program.

Source: Book excerpt adapted from Learning Styles in Nursing Education: Integrating Teaching Strategies into Staff Development by Adrianne E. Avillion, DEd, RN.

Readers of Staff Development Weekly receive a 10% discount on this book! Just enter source code EB102930A at checkout. Click here to visit www.hcmarketplace.com.

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive