When I first started working at Kaiser Permanente as a Patient Access Specialist I was sent to attend a one day orientation to learn about the organization and it’s culture. Additionally, I had to go through a six week training. The training was conducted in a class setting and there were a total of 15 new hires attending. At the end of each lecture we completed a quiz on what we learned that day. Following the six weeks of training there was a final exam to test our learning and ability to perform the job. To pass we had to earn a score of 90% or higher, or you would be terminated for not passing since this meant you wouldn’t be able to perform the job. This was intimidating as there was no re-test option available. Concluding the exam, everyone passed well above the 90% goal. We all felt that we were highly prepared since the class was engaging and we did plenty of hands on work on a training environment system. We were able to practice the tasks we were learning immediately, so this helped solidify our learning. We also did on the job training where we could observe another representative working and ask questions.
On the contrary, now as a seasoned employee I no longer receive this type of hands on training, hence why sometimes errors occur. My training and updates are given by email and an occasional video. Many times after watching a training video I am not able to practice the task immediately because it won’t be implemented for several more weeks. This causes me to forget what I’ve learned and makes for ineffective training.
