We are pleased to announce that LIPHA: the Learning Inter-Professionally Healthcare Accelerator program – a virtual learning experience designed for nursing and personal support work (PSW) students and new hires entering the long-term care (LTC) sector – has been renewed in Ontario for a third year. With funding through the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care’s PSW Education Fund, this program provides tuition reimbursement for students as well as wage replacement for new hires in the Ontario LTC sector to participate in continuing education and professional development. To date, over 2,000 PSWs, learners have successfully completed LIPHA, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Jointly developed by the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research, and Innovation in Long-Term Care and Launch57, LIPHA is a virtual, serious educational game that combines simulation-, game-, case-, team- and story-based learning. LIPHA enables new healthcare providers to safely practice caring for virtual LTC residents.
LIPHA is an evidence-based platform that:
- Reinforces relational care, teamwork, and safety within LTC.
- Positively engages students in the care of frail, older adults as an area of specialization.
- Improves the proficiency of new PSW and nursing hires.
- Improves care outcomes and experiences for residents, families, and teams.
LTC team members and students need quality training to do their job well. They need to work together in teams to make sure residents get excellent care. Team members and students who are new to the sector also need orientation to what working in LTC is all about with effective, new ways of learning to meet challenges.
The Ontario CLRI at Baycrest piloted and tested LIPHA as a new way of learning with George Brown College, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Launch57. LIPHA is a virtual platform or app with easy-to-access, high-quality training for healthcare team members and students.
Learners are immersed in a serious educational game and advance through increasingly complex cases and content. They receive feedback on their care choices and earn rewards and badges for mastering sets of competencies. Team members and students report that they can quickly apply what they learn to real-world resident situations.
- LIPHA is accessible online anytime, anywhere, on any device.
- LIPHA can train learners individually or in groups.
- Learners can access on-the-job tools and save their favourites for easy reference.
- LIPHA can integrate with learning management systems.
To learn more about LIPHA, visit mylipha.ca.