HPNA: Hospice and Palliative Nursing Microlearning (1,573% Utilization)

What problem was HPNA trying to solve?

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) faced two connected problems: demand for palliative care is growing fast, and there is a national shortage of trained hospice and palliative clinicians. New clinicians also lacked standardized onboarding, and existing learning formats were static and text-heavy, a poor fit for nurses working between shifts.

HPNA is the leading voice for advancing expert care in serious illness, and it supports 8,000 healthcare professionals. Traditional onboarding could not keep pace with that audience. A new hospice nurse in one region might get a thorough orientation while a peer elsewhere got a binder and a shadow shift.

The goal was a consistent foundation for every clinician, delivered in a format they would actually use. [VERIFY: HPNA utilization baseline and the time period the 1,573% increase was measured over]

How did Ninja Tropic design the HPNA microlearning?

We designed HPNA’s palliative nursing microlearning as short, scenario-based modules built for busy clinicians. Instead of digitizing a manual page by page, each module focuses on a real situation a nurse meets at the bedside, so the learning transfers directly from the screen to patient care. Courses work on both mobile and desktop.

The work came together across two programs:

• Palliative Care Basics eLearning Series: a standardized onboarding foundation for new clinicians, delivered as microlearning so nurses can learn on the move.
• POLARIS: a professional development program developed with the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF), with continuing education (CE) credits, DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) integrated video content, and scenario-based learning for real-world challenges.

POLARIS was built for registered nurses (RNs), advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and pediatric palliative care specialists. [VERIFY: number of modules and typical module length in each program]

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What tools and formats did the HPNA courses use?

The HPNA courses were built in Articulate Rise with Level 2 interactivity, then extended with embedded Articulate Storyline files where a scenario needed custom interaction. The media mix combined a highly stylized interface, infographic motion graphics, and live-action video, so learners see clinical situations instead of reading about them.

If you are weighing the two authoring tools yourself, our comparison of Articulate Storyline vs Rise explains when a hybrid build like this one makes sense. You can also browse more Articulate Rise examples and see how the interactivity tiers differ in Storyline levels of interactivity explained.

What results did HPNA achieve?

HPNA’s Palliative Care Basics eLearning Series delivered a 1,573% increase in utilization and a 90% learner satisfaction rate. POLARIS added its own early results: more than 930 learners engaged within the first four months, 96% of APRNs reported meeting the learning objectives, and 86% of users said it enhanced their professional growth.

Those numbers matter because they measure different things. Utilization shows that nurses chose to use the program. Satisfaction shows they found it worth their time. Objective attainment shows the content did its job. Many CE programs only report the first one.

[VERIFY: completion rate for the Palliative Care Basics series] [VERIFY: number of CE credits issued through POLARIS] [CLIENT QUOTE: HPNA education lead on the impact of the Palliative Care Basics series]

What can other associations learn from HPNA?

HPNA’s results show that associations can grow program use dramatically by pairing a standardized curriculum with short, scenario-based modules that work on a phone. The lesson is less about video production and more about fit: content shaped around a nurse’s shift, tied to real decisions, and backed by CE credit.

Four takeaways you can apply:

1. Standardize first, then shorten. Agree on the core competencies every clinician needs, then break them into focused modules. Microlearning without a curriculum behind it becomes a pile of clips.
2. Design for the shift, not the classroom. Mobile access and short modules are what let busy clinicians learn between visits.
3. Lead with scenarios. Bedside situations make the content immediately useful and easier to remember.
4. Measure more than completions. Track utilization, satisfaction, and objective attainment, as HPNA did, so you can prove value to members and leadership.

For a broader view of this audience, see our healthcare microlearning examples and medical society and CE microlearning examples. If onboarding is your starting point, the employee onboarding microlearning examples hub shows other approaches.

Related examples to study

The best companion examples for HPNA’s program are other clinical and CE projects that use scenarios, live action, and short modules for working professionals. EmPRO’s physician course and our continuing education collection show how the same design logic applies to doctors and other credentialed audiences who also need CE credit.

• EmPRO: training 1,600+ physicians to unmask shame, a CME-accredited, scenario-based course for physicians.
• Continuing education (CE) microlearning examples, for CE-bearing programs across associations.
• All microlearning case studies, including nonprofit, technical, and finance projects.