HSTM: Is there a baseline for employees who are
choosing to either remain in their current role or
expand their current role?
Cooper: From a learning perspective, we approach
this in essentially the same way as we approach a new
employee. Do we want to have people with 20 years
on the job with one year of experience or do we want
someone who has 20 full years of experience? We
really encourage continuous movement. Are they
obtaining certification(s) in their field? Do they
participate in professional associations? What are they
doing in their communities? This is important for
everyone regardless of the amount of experience that
they may have. The person with greater experience
should always be looking at ways to contribute more.
HSTM: What about someone who is simply not
engaged with learning?
Cooper: Not everyone can be or wants to be a
leader, but they should be productive in helping the
organization achieve its goals. However, it is more fun
to work with people who are excited, engaged, and
want to learn and grow. People who are not striving for
continued growth are unlikely to advance beyond their
current role. In the consulting group, it is very difficult
to hide it if you are not in the right role. It is readily
identifiable on the job satisfaction end--they may not
be chosen for projects, and they may get less positive
feedback and less recognition.
HSTM: What kinds of tools do you use to facilitate
moves within the organization?
Cooper: eLearning is a great tool for RNs and for
management. We need to help nurses develop and
move away from task orientation to understand the
bigger picture of patient care. It is important to
recognize the nurses who are experts in their field and
also have the leadership potential to help move the
organization forward. We use a tool to identify and
determine where our nurses lie on the continuum of
various levels of nursing, from novice to leader. Strong
leadership, communication and decision making skills as
well as executing great patient care—are some
characteristics of a nursing leader.
We also developed a tool that helps nurses move
towards more of a shared governance model. This
cannot be done exclusively by the CNO. These tools
help to identify and to mentor and develop staff to
become an integral part of the team that will
implement the shared governance model. The tool also
helps identify leaders (and those who are perceived as
leaders by their peers).
HSTM: Where are we going? What is the future for
lifelong learning and learners?
Cooper: Going forward, more of our healthcare
learners will by necessity be Millennials. The more that
we make it electronic and easy to access, the better it
is for the employee and the organization. We have to
recognize that learning is quite different from even 10
years ago.
Learning is actually easier to provide for Millennials as the
learning can be provided electronically. We believe
Millennials and learning are going in a positive direction. I
find many Millennials to be focused, team-oriented,
exploratory, hands-on, and creative. While some may
also be somewhat more opinionated and have significant
expectations, they are an incredible resource and have
the potential to make healthcare a different and
productive place, in a very positive way. Simulation,
group activities, and interactive, but structured activities
are appropriate tools to use to educate Millennials.
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