Healthcare staff have limited time for training, and course completion alone doesn't show whether learning will carry into practice. Cognitive psychologist Matt Hays joins Tim Jones and co-host Kris Baird to explore how adaptive training identifies what learners already know and focuses instruction where they need it.

Matt discusses a CLABSI training study in which infection rates at the trained location fell by 79%, with a median training time of 23 minutes. He explains why respecting learners' prior knowledge matters, how confidence and spaced practice affect learning, and what training data can reveal about barriers in the workplace. The conversation also looks at how AI can support learners and training teams.

Key Takeaways

• How adaptive training identifies what learners already know and focuses on their gaps
• Why respecting clinicians' prior knowledge can make training more relevant
• How confidence-based questions can uncover misconceptions that right-or-wrong scores miss
• What one CLABSI study reported: a 23-minute median training duration and a 79% reduction in rates at the trained location
• Why training data can point to workplace barriers, such as conflicting practices or guidance
• How spacing and desirable difficulty can support learning that lasts
• Why a clear rollout matters when training feels unfamiliar to learners
• Where AI can help learners and course authors while keeping learning grounded in the science

Episode Highlights

00:00 | The Pretest That Helps Find Where Training Is Needed
02:32 | "Learning Happens in the Brain, Not the Butt"
05:07 | Training ROI and the Cost of Clinical Time
07:45 | Adaptive Training: Meeting Learners Where They Are
10:52 | How Adaptive Training Works in Practice
15:10 | A CLABSI Study: 23-Minute Median Training, 79% Reduction
18:13 | When Workplace Culture Undercuts Training
23:32 | Retrieval Practice, Spacing, and Feedback
26:58 | Using AI to Improve Training Outcomes
30:30 | Confidence-Based Testing: Knowing What Learners Believe
33:52 | When Training Data Reveals an Organizational Problem
36:28 | Matt's Advice for Healthcare Leaders
38:22 | Why Effective Learning Can Feel Uncomfortable
40:24 | Training and Clinicians' Confidence in the EHR

Guest: Matthew Hays, Ph.D.

Host: Kristin Baird - Baird Group
Co-host: Tim Jones
Sponsored by: Simplifi Medical
Audio/Video: Tim Jones - Health Nuts Media
Learn More at: www.beyond-blueprint.com

In recognition of Health Literacy Month, Tom Chamberlain, PharmD, founder and CEO of EdLogics, joins host Tim Jones to discuss personal and organizational health literacy and how it can be supported in employer and community settings. Tom describes EdLogics' use of game-based learning, videos, and rewards to engage people with health education, and explains why engagement is an important first step in learning. The conversation explores financial and nonfinancial incentives, family learning, community partnerships, and the shared responsibility of healthcare providers, educators, employers, and communities to help people find, understand, and use health information.

Key Takeaways

• How personal and organizational health literacy fit together
• Why organizations share responsibility for making health information accessible and actionable
• How engaging approaches can invite people into health education
• How repetition, video, games, and incentives can support learning and confidence
• Why health education needs to account for families and communities as well as individuals
• How healthcare providers, educators, employers, and communities can contribute to health literacy

Episode Highlights

00:00 | Who Is Responsible for Health Literacy?
01:39 | Introducing Personal and Organizational Health Literacy
06:14 | Defining Health Literacy for Individuals and Organizations
08:34 | Why Employers Became an Early Focus
12:41 | Engagement as a First Step in Learning
14:22 | How Rewards Can Support Engagement
17:52 | Bringing Families into Health Education
21:38 | Health Literacy as a Workforce and Economic Development Issue
24:10 | What Health Literacy Looks Like Across Industries
25:23 | Health Literacy in Prevention and Chronic Condition Care
28:17 | Communicating Health Information Beyond the Digital Platform
29:33 | Building Structured Learning Paths
32:43 | Community Partnerships and Shared Responsibility

Guest: Thomas Chamberlain, PharmD - EdLogics
Host: Tim Jones - Health Nuts Media
Sponsored by: Simplifi Medical
Learn More at: www.beyond-blueprint.com

After more than 50 episodes, Gregg Malkary and Keith Washington finally do what every podcast eventually threatens to do: record a podcast about the podcast. They revisit memorable guests, creative moments and a few stories that still make them laugh, including Gregg's realization that his wife works in nursing simulation.

Beyond the Blueprint was created to help close the gaps between strategy and execution, clinical teams and IT, and ambitious plans and what actually works on a Tuesday afternoon in a busy hospital. Gregg and Keith reflect on conversations with CMIOs, clinicians, operators, entrepreneurs and other healthcare leaders who have shared what they are trying, what they are learning and what they would do differently. They recognize the team working behind the scenes and look ahead to AI, patient engagement, workforce, rural health, pediatrics and remote patient care. The mission remains practical progress, open exchange and a community where healthcare leaders can share what is actually working.

Key Takeaways

• How Beyond the Blueprint evolved from market research into a healthcare podcast
• Why peer-to-peer conversations help leaders share what is working
• The value of interviews, roundtables, and organizational discussions
• Why alignment matters when moving from strategy to execution
• How data governance and interoperability shape healthcare innovation
• The team behind the podcast and its multiplatform content
• Why current industry challenges continue to guide the show
• Future topics including AI, workforce, patient engagement, and remote care

Episode Highlights

00:00 | Looking Back at More Than 50 Episodes
01:47 | How Beyond the Blueprint Began
03:45 | The Team Behind the Podcast
07:02 | Memorable Guests, Analogies, and Creative Clips
09:47 | Harm Scherpbier and the Unvendor Approach
11:32 | Creating Conversations Healthcare Leaders Want to Join
13:46 | Peer Discussions, Health-System Stories, and Entrepreneurs
16:05 | Expanding into Workforce, Rural Health, and Pediatrics
17:22 | What Comes Next for AI, Connectivity, and Remote Care
20:45 | How the Podcast Became a Multiplatform Experience
22:28 | Letting Healthcare's Current Challenges Guide the Show
24:10 | Keith Reflects on the Journey
25:28 | Bringing More CIO Perspectives into the Conversation
26:07 | Gregg Finally Learns What His Wife Does
27:19 | Building on the Creativity and Community Behind the Show

Hosts: Gregg Malkary and Keith Washington
Sponsored by: Simplifi Medical
Audio/Video: Tim Jones - Health Nuts Media
Marketing: Josh Troop - Troop-Creative
Learn More at: www.beyond-blueprint.com