The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is stepping up as a first responder, announcing the launch of a three-part digital course Managing Mental Health in the Workplace. These kind of programs have been heralded as game changers––the difference between someone identifying mental illness and recovering, rather than allowing the disorder to spiral out of control affecting everything from family life to social life to professional life. 

CMHA’s recent release discusses the exciting new online project and zeroes in on thought-provoking articles, infographics and a TED Talk on how technology can and should be leveraged to combat mental illness. We couldn’t help but share!

Here at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), we are passionate about using technology to improve mental health awareness by providing better access to mental health training. With the fantastic results we’ve seen from initiatives like Bell Let’s Talk, the CMHA is proud to be taking our Managing Mental Health in the Workplace course digital. 

In partnership with ScholarLab, a leading innovator of online education in North America, we’ve developed an interactive online course loaded with helpful, perspective-shifting modules on mental health. Plus, our platform is accessible anywhere and adaptable for your individual employees.

How does it work?
Our professionally-filmed video lectures really give the feel of an in-person instructor-led course. But with pre-recorded content, you can pause and conduct discussions or backtrack to review major points and learning outcomes. Employees can register individually (or in groups for special rates) and begin the course right away. The system automatically tracks progress and organizes the modules so you and your employees always know where to pick things up again.

What are the benefits?

• By taking this course digital, CMHA is reaching out to employers on a national level.
• Studies show that implementing just-in-time learning results in time and cost savings, enhanced engagement and constructive changes in behaviour. Your employees won’t have to take time off or wait for an in person, one-time-only session. Consider this: a difficult mental health situation has arisen in the workplace. With the format of our online modules, your human resources team can log in and access critical information exactly when they need it.
• Our online learning environment affords a safe and comfortable space for employees, conducive to the sensitive discussions that orbit mental health awareness. Employees will have privacy and flexibility in exploring their own perception of mental health which they may not be comfortable doing in a conventional classroom.

Is this the right choice for my organization?
Well, the Research Institute of America reported that online learning can advance knowledge retention by 25%-60%, especially because your employees will have the opportunity to revisit the training as needed. Plus, in terms of efficiency, a study conducted by Brandon Hall Research found that when compared to conventional in-classroom learning, online education requires 40%-60% less employee time.

If you’re curious about the benefits of online learning and want to learn more, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’ve assembled a selection of helpful articles, studies and infographics, below.

Resources

Dr. Jayne Lee is not quite a teleporter but she’s about as close as it gets. A major proponent of telemedicine, Lee is a Paris-dwelling physician who treats her patients in North Carolina and Kentucky straight from France using robotic technology. And she’s not alone. In December 2013, the tv-famous psychiatrist Dr. Phil McGraw made headlines by announcing his role as advisor to Doctor on Demand, a new enterprise designed to provide care via mobile medicine.

In a world where society’s inevitable adoption of technology has made it possible to completely reinvent how we communicate, socialize and learn, healthcare is no exception. McGraw and Lee may seem like cutting edge futurists, but they are just two unique stories of the many healthcare professionals turning to technology to improve quality of care. 45% of clinicians now use smartphones and tablets to collect data at their patients’ bedsides. In fact, nearly all healthcare IT professionals report that their organizations supply mobile devices to clinicians to support day-to-day work activities, and 2 out of 3 have an official mobile technology plan in place.

We’re not just seeing technology being used in patient care, medical education is going digital as well. In 2012, for example, 40% of practicing physicians in North America were using online Continuing Medical Education (CME) to satisfy their annual requirements, up dramatically from 18% in 2005. By evolving the way that we deliver medical education, we are seeing real potential to in turn evolve the way we heal, treat and give care. Here are the four reasons why technology will continue to transform medical education and thus, the face of healthcare this year.