Telementoring
Telementoring is a valuable workforce development resource and support system to improve health care quality and health literacy.
During telementoring sessions, health care providers use telecommunication technology to deliver and receive training, education, and support that builds healthcare capacity.
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Benefits of telementoring
Expertise from anywhere
Telementoring enables providers to learn from experts in a variety of disciplines, regardless of location. If you serve patients in a rural area that lacks access to specialized care and resources, telementoring can help bridge that gap. This practice also helps providers stay up to date on the latest health care trends and data.
Affordable access
Just as telehealth can be a lower-cost alternative to in-person medical visits, telementoring may be a more economical method of workforce development than traditional in-person mentoring.
Staff retention and support
Mentorship and the sense of community it can bring is a crucial component of preventing burnout and improving staff retention rates. In rural or remote areas where in-person mentoring is more difficult, telementoring can help foster a sense of camaraderie and teach resilience strategies that are valuable to both providers and patients.
Improved patient outcomes
Having access to the latest best practices ensures your patients are getting the best possible care. The information gathered from telementoring can also enable providers to treat patients in their communities, removing the need for patients to travel long distances to see specialists.
Types of telementoring
Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes)
Project ECHO is a lifelong learning and guided practice model designed to expand workforce capacity to provide best-practice specialty care and reduce health disparities. Project ECHO uses a “hub and spoke” knowledge-sharing method, led by expert teams who use videoconferencing to conduct virtual clinics with community providers. Learn more here.
Individual Consultations
Connect with a specialist one on one via telephone or videoconference in order to inform clinical care delivery.
Asynchronous learning
Asynchronous learning means that the educational materials give you the flexibility to gather knowledge in a self-paced manner.
Many telementoring programs offer asynchronous learning resources. Examples include:
- Webinars
- Podcasts
- Self-paced training modules
- Learning clubs
More information
Rural Telementoring Training Center — from Rural Telementoring Training Center
Expanding Telehealth and Telementoring During COVID-19 — from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality