Why Healthcare Professionals Hate Online Learning — And How We Can Do Better
- Ellie Bates
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
Why healthcare professionals aren’t resisting online learning — they’re resisting poor design.
Healthcare professionals are often portrayed as being resistant to online learning.
But the truth is, they have good reasons for feeling frustrated with what’s often been offered to them.
It’s not the technology that’s the problem.
It’s the way online learning has been designed, delivered, and valued.
When we listen carefully to the real experiences of healthcare workers, a different story emerges — and with it, an opportunity to create something better.
What’s Gone Wrong With Online Learning in Healthcare
1. Compliance overload
Much of the online learning healthcare professionals encounter is mandatory compliance training.
It’s often a tick-box exercise — content that must be “completed” rather than meaningfully engaged with.
2. Dull, text-heavy experiences
Endless pages of static text. Long, linear courses that expect learners to absorb information passively.
There’s little interaction, little reflection, and little that connects to real practice.
3. Lack of social learning
Healthcare is inherently collaborative — yet most online learning feels solitary.
There are few opportunities for conversation, reflection, or connection with peers.
4. Poor scheduling expectations
Often, online modules are bundled into large blocks, with the expectation that learners will complete several hours in one sitting.
No one wants to sit at a computer for five hours, passively clicking through content.
It’s exhausting, demotivating, and unrealistic.
5. Ugly, outdated design
Too often, online learning platforms feel clunky, outdated, and uninviting.
Good design matters — not just for aesthetics, but for creating environments where learners feel respected and motivated.
6. Missing patient voices
Learning often becomes abstract, divorced from the real-world experiences of patients and service users.
Without patient voices, education risks feeling hollow, disconnected from the purpose that brings most people into healthcare in the first place.
7. Low value placed on online learning
Online CPD is often treated as second-best compared to in-person training.
It’s rarely celebrated, rarely given the same recognition, and often seen as something to “get through” rather than something that can transform practice.
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way
When designed thoughtfully, online learning can offer what traditional methods sometimes can’t:
Interactivity: AI tools, branching case studies, adaptive feedback
Community: Online forums, live discussions, collaborative tasks
Flexibility: Learning in small, meaningful doses over time — not crammed into a single sitting
Patient-centredness: Real stories, lived experience, case-based learning that connects to real practice
Beauty and care: Platforms that feel inviting, intuitive, and built for professionals who deserve respect
Respecting Healthcare Professionals’ Time and Expertise
Good online learning starts from a position of respect.
It recognises that healthcare professionals are:
Skilled adults with complex demands on their time
Experts in their own right, capable of deep reflection when given the space
People who value meaningful learning experiences — not just certificates
Designing for this reality means building learning that is flexible, interactive, and relevant — not burdensome or transactional.
A Call for Better Online Learning
We don’t need to abandon online learning.
We need to reimagine it.
Blended models that combine meaningful online engagement with purposeful face-to-face experiences
Short, interactive sessions that fit into real working lives
Learning environments that are beautiful, human-centred, and respectful
Patient voices woven through every stage of education
When we design with care and creativity, online learning can be transformational — not just tolerable.
It can offer deeper reflection, wider access, and stronger communities of practice than traditional models ever allowed.
Conclusion: Healthcare Professionals Deserve Better
Healthcare professionals don’t hate online learning because it’s online.
They hate it because too often, it’s been done badly.
They deserve better.
And better is possible — when we design with thought, with respect, and with a real commitment to making learning meaningful again.
At EL Healthcare Education, we believe online learning can and should be alive, engaging, and empowering.
Because education deserves as much care as the practice it supports.
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