Flexible education helps both students and healthcare organizations

The healthcare sector is struggling with staffing issues. Employers face challenges in finding the right people, while employees, newcomers, or students want to earn their diplomas as quickly as possible. They prefer a flexible and demand-driven education. Floow offers the solution. It has already proven itself in the Rijnmond region, as shown by teacher Gézina Trouw and Caregiver-IG Esmay Grootveld. Esmay completed the program not in three years, but in just nine months! She is now able to perform all nursing procedures at her employer, Zuidwester.

Floow makes education flexible, which benefits both healthcare organizations and employees. Students are not tied to summer vacations, and they don’t have to start their studies on fixed dates. They can begin at any time of the year. Floow is a platform for personalized learning, working, and innovation. The application and curriculum were developed in collaboration with Zadkine Health & Welfare College in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region. Students work on their theory at their own pace through the Floow app while refining their practical skills in real-life training at Zadkine. Both aspects are assessed at the ‘bronze’, ‘silver’, and ‘gold’ levels before being applied in the workplace.

Demand-Driven

The practical education is just as flexible as the app, as Gézina Trouw demonstrates. “Students are not all the same. We can’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. That’s why we work both supply-driven and demand-driven. Students can indicate what they want to learn about up until the evening before class—perhaps something they encountered at work. We adapt accordingly. This could mean arranging guest lectures from a pain nurse, diabetes nurse, or neurologist, for example. But our team also has a wealth of knowledge and experience.”

For instance, in addition to her role as a teacher and program manager at Zadkine, Gézina also works ten hours a week as a palliative care nurse in a hospice in Spijkenisse. “Everyone in our team keeps one foot in the field,” she explains. “We actually feel a bit obligated to do so for our students. The healthcare sector is evolving so rapidly.”

The students come from very diverse backgrounds. Some newcomers have no previous experience in healthcare but come from sectors like banking or mortgages. They have witnessed the beauty of this work through caregiving experiences. Others come from elderly care. There are dental assistants among them, and even an ambulance driver. This diversity allows students to learn from each other as well, says Gézina.

Own Pace

An MBO program typically takes two years to complete. However, since classes are held for fifty weeks a year, students can finish in just one and a half years. Thanks to the flexible structure, an even faster pace is possible. Esmay Grootveld (26) completed her training in just nine months.

She had already been working for several years in disability care at Zuidwester residences in Hellevoetsluis. “I worked as a caregiver for a long time. The love I receive from these people… it’s so pure. This place feels like my second home,” she explains. “But I wanted more. I heard about the flexible Verzorgende IG training, and it was the perfect opportunity for me.”

Together with Gézina, she created a Personal Development Plan (POP), in which all her previous certificates and experience were mapped out. Based on that, she was able to determine her own study pace—and it was fast. “When I start something, I want to finish it as quickly as possible,” Esmay laughs. “Maybe a little too fast… I often had to chase after my teachers. But they were amazing! They did everything for me. They look at what you can do and who you are as a person.”

Ambassador

Not only Zadkine but also Zuidwester played a crucial role in helping Esmay achieve her goals quickly. “I got immense support from my colleagues and my care manager. And Zuidwester funded the program through my healthcare budget.”

She was so impressed that she has now become something of an ambassador for the program. “I try to encourage as many colleagues as possible to enroll. Our clients require many nursing procedures—from tube feeding and oxygen administration to catheterization and bladder irrigation. You encounter all of it.”

Esmay Grootveld has some advice for those considering the flexible Floow program: “You need to be well-organized and able to stand your ground. Sometimes, you have to advocate for yourself to reach your learning goals.”

Continuity

Esmay’s journey is just one success story. The combination of the Floow platform and Zadkine’s approach is gaining traction in the Rijnmond region. “The industry is crying out for this,” says Gézina Trouw.

“It’s often said that ‘training is the new recruiting.’ Well, in that case, healthcare organizations should look no further. They can train more people, get qualified professionals sooner, and improve continuity within their organizations.”