Continuing education courses are commonplace for doctors and other healthcare practitioners. These professionals are expected and in some cases required to update their knowledge of the field on a regular basis. The reasoning for this is simple: continuing education helps practitioners deliver better results. For example, in his Primary Care Respiratory Journal article on the subject, M. Fletcher analyzed a “randomised controlled trial of education” amongst primary care doctors and concluded: “without continued investment in healthcare professionals’ education, the vision of high quality, guideline-driven, evidence-based health care will never come to fruition.” Obviously, we all want our doctors, surgeons, and nurses to have the latest and greatest medical education.
At Measurable Solutions, one of our most popular training programs is designed specifically for healthcare practice owners. Our co-founder, Shaun Kirk, saved his own physical therapy practice using the approaches we now teach in the New Patient Course. Given our distinctive perspective on practice ownership, we’re particularly passionate about the concept of continuing education, and we believe it need not be restricted to healthcare. In the following blog, we explain why ongoing training is important for all business owners, inside or outside the medical field.
The Philosophy of Continuing Education
Learning is a lifelong activity—your schooling need not stop simply because you’ve attained the degree or certification you were after. As the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates, famously said: “education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” When it comes to your professional training, the fire of your knowledge should continue to burn and even grow throughout your career.
In her The Muse article, “School’s Not Out: The Importance of Continuing Education,” Melissa Fudor reflects on her experiences: “After entering the workforce, I’ve realized that learning is even more important now than it was back in my dorm room days…It turns out that learning something new not only helps the brain function more effectively, but improves focus, overall confidence, and self-esteem.” Sharpening your skills can help you remain professionally revitalized so you can do your best work.
In addition to its more abstract advantages, continuing education provides numerous purely practical benefits. Reference for Business points out: “People who upgrade their work skills and knowledge not only keep up with the latest technologies and business techniques, but they can also receive other benefits, such as the training needed to climb the corporate ladder and to realize additional career goals…researchers in the late 1990s argued that continuing education was become less of an option and more of a necessity. Hence, one of the greatest benefits workers may derive from continuing education is simply keeping their jobs.” In the modern work world, supplementary learning isn’t a luxury—it’s mandatory to maintain your position. To make the tangible rewards of continuing education even clearer, How Stuff Works notes: “The more time you put into pursuing additional education, the more money you’re likely to make.”
The import of continuing education is especially pivotal for small business owners and managers. Running a company requires upgrading your personal skills and setting an example for your employees. Participating in supplementary training programs, taking courses, and finding new ways to helm your company can help you become as prosperous as possible.
Innovating in Your Industry
As Reference for Business argues, continuing education has become a baseline for business owners. Keeping up with your courses is essential, but you can also take your training a step further and use it as an opportunity for further advancement. If you fully invest in your continuing education, you could head to the top of your class and use what you’ve learned to come up with new solutions to the problems your clients face. In addition, as Melissa Fudor explains, these seminars and events are great places to network: “attending [continuing education conferences] that cater to your industry niche are a great way to learn the ins and outs of your field and, at the same time, meet potential clients or business contacts.” The people sitting next to you at your program could be prospective partners, clients, or collaborators. With the new expertise you gain, you could all build better businesses together.
Applying Your New Knowledge
It should go without saying that continuing education has very little value if you can’t actually apply any of the principles you learn. Unfortunately, many classes emphasize ultimately meaningless jargon rather than easy to implement approaches. At Measurable Solutions, we offer a variety of training programs and courses, as well as customized consulting services. As our name suggests, we strive to provide tangible, measurable benefits for our clients by teaching them key techniques and ensuring they understand how to use them in their businesses.
Continue Your Education with Measurable Solutions
Take advantage of everything continuing education has to offer with Measurable Solutions. Contact us today to find out more about our offerings, sign up for free business tips, or schedule a consultation with a member of our team.
