Ready, Set, LEAP: Foundation of Healthcare Improvement with Virginia Mason Institute

Healthcare professionals can now join a cohort for Foundation of Healthcare Improvement (FHI). 

Course Cadence: 1st week of February, 1st week of May, 2nd week of July & 2nd week of September.

FHI is an opportunity to empower every team member with essential skills for daily improvement, because improvement is built from the ground up by engaged individuals across all roles – it doesn’t only happen at the leadership level. In this self-paced, two-module course, healthcare professionals will gain knowledge and tools to recognize inefficiencies and contribute to better care outcomes. Through interactive, on-demand learning, participants will explore practical techniques like 5S, mistake proofing, and workflow observation to better understand their work, reduce waste, and create meaningful improvements in their own environments.

This program is designed for healthcare professionals, and rooted in the LEAP model. LEAP (Learn, Experience, Apply, Perform) emphasizes experiential learning and hands-on training, allowing participants to engage deeply with the material and develop a thorough understanding of the concepts. Read more about LEAP here.

Course Overview

Over this 2-module program, learners will understand how to capture and analyze the current state of their processes and how to apply improvement techniques to the current state challenges.

Key Concepts

• Flows of Medicine
• Observation
• 5S
• Set up Reduction
• Mistake Proofing
• PDSA

Course Format & Delivery Model

The course is a self-paced delivery model, delivered over 2 weeks to allow learners to Learn, Experience, Apply and Perform. Learning is delivered on demand, via computer-based learning modules. The course entails approximately 3 hours of learning per participant.

Target Candidates

• Anyone needing awareness and basic improvement skills
• Could include any leader, physician, provider, front line worker
• Appropriate for new hires

Course Topics

Module 1: Know Your Work

• How Waste Affects You and Others
• How You Influence Value
• Emotions Matter in Healthcare!
• What’s a Mistake?

Module 2:  Improve Your Work

• First, Do No Harm
• Sorting Lessens Your Burden
• Keeping It Simple
• Improve with Standards
• How to Spend Less Time and Do Less Walking
• Better Never Stops

Learning Outcomes

Foundations of Healthcare Improvement will help learners understand how to capture and analyze the current state of their processes and how to apply improvement techniques to the current state challenges. Learning topics include:

• Understand the correlation between quality, value and waste
• The importance of time and understanding workflows
• Understanding the patient experience
• Using 5S as a countermeasure to waste
• Identifying set-up opportunities
• Learning mistake proofing methods

Ready to Learn More?

Individual course, learner can start when convenient. We offer bespoke options including custom branding, in-person cohorts, translated materials, and more! Please email us at info@virginiamasoninstitute.org to start a conversation with us about participating in the next FHI cohort.