There are so many different applications out there, especially for LMS systems. So, it can be difficult to pinpoint the right one.
Nevertheless, since effective and sufficient training is important in the veterinary field, implementing a good e-Learning strategy could be incredibly advantageous.
In this regard, many veterinary organizations are adopting e-Learning solutions to revolutionize their staff training.
Although you can effectively teach some skills in face-to-face settings, e-Learning still proves useful in providing and measuring many of the required training courses. It can become a vital component of the learning process for veterinary companies.
This necessity is where LMS enters the picture.
What Factors of a Modern Veterinary Practice Make an LMS Beneficial?
The practice of veterinary medicine necessitates extremely specific skills that you must put into practice. As technology becomes more prevalent in the veterinary field, new challenges emerge, such as:
Heightened Time Pressures
Veterinary professionals frequently work shifts and spend the bulk of their time on their feet.
This issue makes it difficult to gather workers for training at certain times and locations. Undoubtedly, work can be physically and psychologically demanding, so requiring employees to train outside of their regular working hours limits their much-needed downtime.
Complex and Specialized Training
Compliance training, continuous professional development, and nursing school curriculum are common tasks for Learning and Development Managers in the veterinary field, as are booking for student placements and soft skills for working with clients.
A range of training requirements this wide necessitates extensive preparation and investment.
Fast, Ever-changing Needs
Veterinary training must not only include a wide range of topics and requirements, but it must also adjust regularly to suit the ever-changing demands of the field. New trends, medications, treatments, and procedures are always evolving, and veterinary professionals must keep their skills up to date and keep up with the changes.
For these reasons, the need for a Learning Management System has increasingly become vital.
What is a Learning Management System?
A Learning Management System is a versatile software application that serves as the foundation for managing all aspects of a company’s learning process. Essentially, it is where you store, present, and manage your training content.
While usually called an LMS, it is also known as a training management system, a learning activity management system, or even a learning experience platform.
Every practice needs an LMS in place. Since veterinarians must complete a certain amount of CPD within their field over a specific time, this is especially crucial for the veterinary field.
What is CPD?
In the United Kingdom, approximately 30,000 veterinarians and veterinary nurses get employed.
Whether they work full-time or part-time, all practicing veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses listed on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Register must complete the minimum CPD, or Continuing Professional Development, requirement.
Veterinarians must complete a minimum of 105 hours of continuing education every three years, with an average of 35 hours per year. In any three years, VNs must complete a minimum of 45 hours of CPD, with an average of 15 hours per year.
The following activities can count towards formal CPD points for professionals in the Veterinary field:
- Taking part in organized courses, lectures, or seminars.
- Shadowing or submitting to mentorships with someone in your own or another practice.
- Participating in “learning sets,” informal networks of professionals who learn together by comparing and discussing case reports and whatnot.
- In-house training.
- Secondments to different practices.
- Critical reading of veterinary journals and other relevant literature and keeping a reading journal or taking notes.
- Research, including research for providing lectures, seminars, or presentations.
To gain CPD points, some of the platforms that professionals can use include:
- Wolf Learning: Wolf Learning Consulting (wolf-learning.com)
- Improve International: Small Animal Surgery Online and Practical Learning – Improve International
- UK Vet CPD: UK Vet | Landing (ukvet-cpd.com)
Whatever the type of learning the vet professional wants, these platforms, and many others can make accommodations for maximum learning.
Making the Choice
The decision to use a Learning Management System for your online courses is critical. Ultimately, you will want an LMS that is both intuitive and engaging for your staff.
With so many options available today, considering the following factors can be instrumental in choosing the best Learning Management System:
- Simple Integration: Your LMS is not the only tool you will need to execute a successful training program. If you are using WordPress to power your site, for example, your choice should be compatible with the most popular WordPress plugins and themes: You will get stuck if you do not.
- Strategic Hosting: Some learning management systems get hosted, while others must be installed and maintained by the user. In both circumstances, you will have to pay for some form of hosting. Expect to spend more if you utilize a hosted solution because they will technically be managing it for you. Whatever hosting you choose, make sure your hosting package provides you with the storage and performance required.
- Intuitive Interface: Not every LMS is simple to use. You might find your training endeavors in trouble if you are spending too much time attempting to figure out how to add a simple course to your LMS. Because e-Learning is already fraught with difficulties, the very least you can do is find a solution that is simple to use for the learners.
Conclusion
Learning management is characterized in a variety of ways depending on the situation. From a process standpoint, learning management is an ever-evolving process where your veterinarian practice’s true value lies.
Essentially, the complete learning program you put in your LMS will be very successful if your learning management configuration follows your organizational goals.
Consider Veterinary IT Services in this aspect.
Veterinary IT Services is a managed service provider (MSP) and the UK’s only IT support firm dedicated to veterinary practices. Veterinary IT Services provides bespoke solutions, ranging from managed compliance to learning management systems, putting the clients first. This proactive practice will help veterinary companies stay up with the changing technological landscape.
