A leading prosthetics and orthotics practice in Ireland has discovered how strategic selection of tailored online learning can support their staff in engaging with relevant and effective professional development. Through systematic analysis of their team’s learning preferences and implementation of structured pathways, they’ve developed solutions that address the modern challenges of professional development in clinical settings.
Ottobock, Ireland, a leading prosthetics and orthotics practice, had a problem – whilst the team was committed to bettering patient care through professional development, they were struggling to maintain focus and engagement of staff with their online learning, not an uncommon challenge! Donna Fisher, who manages professional development for certified prosthetists and orthotists (CPOs), recognised that simply providing access to learning resources wasn’t enough. Despite investing in Physiopedia Plus (Plus) subscriptions for all staff members, engagement remained inconsistent. In search of a solution, she interviewed all staff members to get to the bottom of their barriers to engaging with the resources. It wasn’t lack of interest, it was overwhelm – time needed to complete courses, as well as difficulty in deciding where to start were key themes echoed by her team. Most Plus courses take between 1 and 2 hours to complete, depending on learning styles, but the team was only being allocated 1-hour slots for their continuing professional development (CPD), creating a fundamental mismatch. This was resulting in lots of courses being started, but few being completed.
Rather than abandoning the investment in Plus, the team worked together to develop an approach that works for them, using the Plus functionality to assign specific courses to team members helping them to focus their CPD time. In practice this has meant assigning specific courses to team members to address their individual learning needs. For example, the team have developed an induction programme for new starters that includes selected Plus courses covering essential foundational knowledge in anatomy and clinical practice. With clear direction and targets for their learning, this removes the barriers to engaging. For ongoing professional development of established team members, Donna is creating annual learning programmes – assigning selected Plus courses that align with practice priorities and individual development needs. This eliminates the “sweet shop” effect where unlimited choice creates paralysis rather than engagement.
In addition, the practice is using innovative approaches to blend online learning with face-to-face professional development. The team are encouraged to learn online individually to help them to effectively prepare for group discussion sessions to consolidate their knowledge. For example, the team hold quarterly group CPD sessions – prior to the sessions the team are assigned relevant Plus courses as prerequisite learning. Staff watch video content and view reading materials in advance, then use the valuable group time for practical application, case discussions and collaborative problem-solving. This approach maximises the value of both individual study time and collective learning opportunities.
The practice is also exploring Physiopedia’s AI assistant, PAI, to improve their learning experiences. Staff can use PAI to generate realistic case studies for presentations, eliminating the challenge of sourcing appropriate clinical scenarios while ensuring patient confidentiality. They are also using PAI to check their online course learning and consolidate their knowledge to deepen their clinical reasoning and real-world application.
“What PAI can do now is create case studies for you. Staff could come into PAI and say, ‘I am an orthotist and I would like to speak on this new type of AFO. Please create a case study of a patient who’s come in.’ They could talk through it and generate a case study.”
This considered and systematic approach to supporting the team is showing promising early results. The practice has identified improvement in team engagement and collaborative working towards their strategic goals. The team recognise that successful professional development requires ongoing refinement based on user feedback and changing needs and they are monitoring this every 6 months to refine their approach. The investment in structured learning pathways reflects broader recognition that modern professional development must adapt to contemporary learning preferences while maintaining educational rigor.
This practice’s experience highlights critical insights for healthcare organisations investing in staff development. Simply providing access to quality resources doesn’t guarantee engagement, success requires understanding user preferences, addressing practical barriers, and providing clear guidance on learning pathways. As healthcare systems globally seek to maximise return on educational investments, this prosthetics and orthotics practice offers a practical model for creating engaging, effective professional development programmes. Their approach shows that with thoughtful implementation, online learning platforms can become powerful tools for career advancement and improved patient care.
The key lies not just in providing access to quality education, but in creating systems that make that education accessible, relevant and achievable within the realities of clinical practice. If you are interested in discussing how to develop great CPD opportunities for your team please contact us.
This article was written by one of our course instructors...
Carin Hunter
Bachelor of Physiotherapy
Physiotherapist, Learning Architect
Plus