Decoding Learner Preferences in Continuing Education for the Health Professions

In the rapidly evolving landscape of health care, continuing education (CE) remains the cornerstone of professional development, ensuring that practitioners across all disciplines stay abreast of the latest clinical evidence, therapeutic strategies, and technological advancements. However, the effectiveness of CE is not solely dependent on the quality of the information presented; it is profoundly influenced by the methods through which it is delivered. i3 Health’s comprehensive analysis of survey data from 1404 learners who participated in continuing medical education (CME), nursing continuing professional development (NCPD), and continuing pharmacy education (CPE) from 2024 to 2025 provides a detailed roadmap to the educational preferences of today’s healthcare professionals, revealing nuanced patterns across provider types, including physicians (n=259), nurse practitioners (NPs) (n=52), physician assistants/associates (PAs) (n=22), nurses (n=708), and pharmacists (n=257). Understanding these preferences is not a luxury but a necessity for creating impactful educational initiatives that resonate with learners, optimize knowledge retention, and ultimately enhance patient care.

Learner Preferences in Continuing Education: The Digital Shift and Enduring Traditions

The data reveal a health care workforce that embraces both the convenience of digital learning and the familiarity of traditional formats. Across all professions surveyed, there is a clear convergence on a few key modalities. On-demand webinar/expert panel discussions emerge as a leading preference, selected by 28.4% of learners. This trend highlights a collective demand for self-paced learning that allows busy clinicians to access high-quality content on their own schedules, a critical feature in a field characterized by demanding and often unpredictable hours. Closely following in the overall learner analysis are in-hospital/society chapter meetings (25.9%) and live webinars (20.5%); these indicate a desire for real-time engagement and the opportunity to interact with faculty. Downloadable slide sets/infographics are also favored by 21.3% of learners, although the extent of this preference varies substantially by learner profession. In addition, podcasts (15.0%) and live conferences/seminars (12.3%) are preferred by some respondents. Monographs are the least popular learning modality (3.0%), with considerable consistency across professions (range, 0% to 3.4%). The overall picture is one of a blended learning environment where no single format rules (see Figure 1).

The Primacy of Expert-Led, Case-Based Learning

Beyond the format of delivery, the intrinsic components of an educational activity are paramount to its success. The data make it unequivocally clear that health care professionals prioritize content that is both authoritative and practical. A staggering 41.8% of learners identify a lecture by an expert as a critical element of CE, underscoring a deep-seated trust in and desire for knowledge curated and delivered by recognized thought leaders. Notably, expert lectures are favored more frequently by prescribers (physicians, 50.6%; NPs, 55.8%; PAs, 50.0%) compared with nonprescribers (nurses, 43.1%; pharmacists, 31.5%). Complementing the expert lecture is the high preference for case-based learning, favored by 34.8% of respondents (see Figure 2).

The dual preference for expert lectures and case-based instruction highlights a key insight: clinicians desire to learn from the best, and they want to understand how that expert knowledge applies to the real-world scenarios they face daily. Interactive opportunities are also valued, but they are seen as supplementary to the core pillars of expert lectures and case-based analysis.

How Preferences Vary by Profession

While broad trends exist, a deeper dive into the data reveals significant variations in the learning preferences of different healthcare professions. Understanding these distinctions and how they relate to providers' unique roles and responsibilities is critical for designing targeted and effective educational interventions.

Physicians prioritize flexibility and expertise. In terms of learning modalities, their top preference is for on-demand webinars/expert panel discussions (32.0%), allowing them to fit education into busy schedules. These are followed by in-hospital/society chapter meetings and live webinars (22.4 and 22.0%, respectively). When it comes to content, physicians show the strongest preference for a lecture by an expert (50.6%), reinforcing their reliance on authoritative sources for complex clinical information. Case-based learning follows at 29.3%, indicating a secondary need to see expert knowledge put into practice. The data suggest that for physicians, the ideal educational activity is an on-demand session led by a top-tier expert, supplemented with relevant case examples (Figure 1; Figure 2).

Nurses demonstrate a strong need for practical, job-relevant resources. Like physicians, they favor on-demand webinars/expert panel discussions (33.2%) and in-hospital/society chapter meetings (31.9%). However, a key differentiator emerges in a third notable preference: downloadable slide sets and infographics (25.8%). This highlights a need for tangible takeaways and quick-reference materials that can be used in their daily practice. In terms of content, nurses show a more balanced preference between expert lectures (43.1%) and case-based learning (39.3%) than physicians do. This near-equal weighting suggests a deep desire to contextualize new knowledge within the framework of patient care scenarios that they regularly encounter. Their interest in video graphics (18.4%) and interactive technology (17.1%) points to a preference for dynamic, visually engaging, and hands-on learning (Figure 1; Figure 2).

Advanced practice providers place an exceptionally high value on practical, applied knowledge. Physician assistants/associates show the strongest preference of any group for case-based learning (54.6%), followed closely by expert lectures (50.0%). While NPs rank expert lectures first (55.8%), they have a robust second preference for case studies (40.4%). Advanced practice providers’ interest in interactive technology (NPs, 32.7%; PAs, 13.6%), video graphics (NPs, 25.0%; PAs, 22.7%) and podcasts (PAs, 36.4%; NPs, 23.1%) suggests an openness to more modern, engaging educational tools that fit a dynamic work style, while their interest in downloadable slide sets/infographics (NPs, 30.8%; PAs, 18.2%) suggests a desire to review educational content and keep it on hand for future reference. However, advanced practice providers also place a significant value on in-person live education, with an interest in live conferences/seminars in both groups (NPs, 30.8%; PAs, 18.2%) and a notable interest in in-hospital/society chapter meetings among NPs (NPs, 17.3%; PAs, 9.1%) (Figure 1; Figure 2).

Pharmacists favor live webinars (21.8%) and in-hospital/society chapter meetings (19.1%) as their top learning formats. Despite this preference for live education, they are less interested in live conferences and seminars (8.2%). They also like formats they can pursue on their own time, such as downloadable slide sets/infographics (17.1%), on-demand webinars/expert panel discussions (15.2%), and podcasts (7.8%). Their top content preferences are almost evenly split between expert lectures (31.5%) and case-based learning (31.1%), demonstrating a balanced need for foundational knowledge and its practical application to medication management (Figure 1; Figure 2).

Actionable Insights for CE Providers

• Embrace a Hybrid Model: Blend on-demand digital formats for flexibility with live or in-person events to foster community and real-time engagement.
• Lead with Expertise and Reinforce with Practice: Anchor activities in expert-led content, and include robust case-based learning to bridge theory and clinical reality.
• Customize for Your Audience: Recognize nuanced differences in learning styles between professions.

By aligning educational design with these evidence-based learner preferences, CE providers can move beyond simply disseminating information to create truly transformative learning experiences that empower health care professionals and improve patient outcomes.

References

i3 Health (2025). Learner preference data, 2024–2025. Data on file.