FHIR prep - individual vs. study group

v1.0 21/02/2022 - the Monday before the palindrome "Two's"day - [22.02.2022]

Disclaimer: This post is specifically related to the FHIR proficiency prep group and is written in this context. Whether you do self or study-group study is personal choice. Either method can lead to exam success or re-take.

This is a follow-on from my previous FHIR post.

Essentially, you're looking at starting your prep and not sure whether to self-study or look for a study group. In this post I'll try and break down the pros and cons of each approach and some of the challenges that each method could encounter.

For the FHIR proficiency preparation group, we have been advocating for study group method, but it's good to have options. I'll reflect on my personal experience studying for this exam but also integrate my past experience with study groups. Which method is the right method will depend on you as an individual, and while study groups have several benefits, there may be people wishing to prep without a study group.

Importantly, whether you choose individual or study group, you still need to do the work and ensure that you have comprehensively covered the material.

Regardless of method be aware of Official HL7 FHIR Certification Tips for exam domain coverage and other details

A) Individual approach

So you've decided that you want to study on your own. This is a totally reasonable approach.

Reasons for choosing individual might include the following:

1) Limited time (and difficult to coordinate with others) - sometimes trying to coordinate with others can be seen as more hassle than what it is worth. You may decide this is you and you feel comfortable with the subject material.

2) Don't want to be slowed down by others - you can plan your own timelines (requires high levels of self-discipline) and you're extremely motivated. Self-starters who are good at planning might prefer this method.

3) High levels of subject matter knowledge - you believe that you already have high levels of knowledge and comprehensively understand the standard. You may just need to do tweaks/fine-tuning in knowledge and are able to quickly sprint through the material.

4) Your personality style better suits individual study - whether due to past experiences of intra-group conflict or frustration may mean that individual study is better. You should have some idea already as an adult learner. Obviously any group work is unique and past experiences may not reflect potential group work opportunity. However, if you know yourself well then you'll be aware already what works and what doesn't.

So the reasons above are perfectly reasonable rationale for choosing individual-only study.

Benefits include: potentially faster (if you are self-disciplined and have good pacing), no responsibility meeting shared milestones (e.g. don't have to explain missed meetings), less complicated than having to coordinate with others.

Challenges: so you'll miss out on bouncing ideas off group members (socialisation is a way to create knowledge under SECI model by Tanaka and Takeuchi), you may not realise your blindspots and misunderstand domains, if you aren't self-organised or self-disciplined then you may in fact be slower. Finally, without realising it, you might be limiting yourself to not exposing yourself to other ways of thinking and perspectives (and totally miss out on networking opportunities - you may have enough friends already, but certainly having FHIR friends beneficial).

Personal reflection - so I've studied for multiple exams on my own (including FHIR proficiency exam). I've got excellent self-discipline and can harness obsessional thinking. I've got an approach and personality style where I can set a goal in mind and keep going until I get it. I have past experience with study groups which I'll describe below, and certainly have chosen individual study over study groups in the past. Some of the reasons is an active choice (related to the above reasons) even in situations where study groups have been recommended. I missed out on bouncing ideas off others, and on my first exam attempt, missed. I suspect group study would have exposed me to different perspectives, but already having done study/work in computer science/IT/business and medicine - could hold different perspectives in my approach to the exam.

What you'll need to do if doing individual study

1. My personal advice would be to do the official course if possible (HL7 FHIR proficiency preparation course - usually run by Aditya Joshi or Dr David Hay) - if you can't afford (or maybe do due to time constraints) then study guide next best thing
2. Get the study guide - you'll feel better if you can also have this resource, otherwise FOMO will set in
3. Do the official practice exam - so that you can understand exam pattern (critical when doing these exams - you should have access to quiz if doing official HL7 FHIR proficiency preparation course)
4. Learn-do cycle - make sure even when you are doing theory that you are practicing using Postman for API calls. You don't necessarily have to build complete implementations (unless you wanted to). Practice making your own resources/bundles. This will assist in the long-run. From several people who have posted - this is helpful

B) Study group approach

So you've chosen study groups. Also an excellent choice and not mutually exclusive to doing individual study advice above. After all, whether you are in a group or studying alone, you still need to do your own work!

Reasons for doing study groups may include:

1) Work better in a group - so you know that you work better in a group. There may be an element of shared responsibility whereby you feel more likely to perform (e.g. meet milestones) when you are responsible to a group.

2) Social butterfly - not necessarily too different to the previous reason. However, you might be the person who loves to chat about concepts, and you know that you learn best in this environment. You may find books a little boring without stimulating conversation to motivate you to read.

3) FHIR exam is not the only goal - you also want to build connections and networks. Certainly groups offer new people to meet (and agree/disagree with ^^ )

4) Leveraging group intelligence/skills - so groups can be a powerful way to harness group intelligence. It is unlikely as individuals that we can be an expert in every domain/discipline. Yes - some people are T- or Y-shaped but having expertise across the board is sometimes not possible/efficient (for example, I'm not an expert across the board and never would claim to be!). Hence, when you work in a group you might have a clinical person (that provide clinical expertise and opinion), developers (who can share coding expertise) etc etc. For an exam like the FHIR proficiency exam, it draws on different domains and a group with multiple perspectives provide stronger learning that working from a single perspective.

5) Shared goals - you enjoy shared goals and feel better approaching study and the exam as a team. Study groups can certainly provide high levels of comraderie and support.

Benefits: learn better due to exposure to multiple perspectives and skills (if you listen/engage with others), good if you like teams - you can set goals together and reach together (e.g. winning together ^^ ), you can end up with life-long (FHIR) friends and expose yourself to their social networks.

Challenges: potential setting for conflict (so if you strike the wrong team/personalities) - you'll need to find a way around or find new groups, you might move slower than individual (especially if team members can't make meetings), you may find you end up doing having to carry team members or go back to cover old material.

Personal experience: As mentioned, I didn't use study group as it wasn't even a choice when studying for the FHIR exam (and I wouldn't know where to look). FHIR certified Janaka, Dan, Jennifer and some others utilised this technique very effectively with excellent pass percentage as a group (e.g. winning together). At times in the past, I have used study groups and found it super helpful to cover large amount of material in a short amount of time. Critical success factors are having a committed group where everyone has the same (shared) purpose and are motivated to work with each other. I have encountered times where I've ended up with dysfunctional groups (or personalities) and while I've continued to work with some, have needed to exit other groups. Sometimes, people may be unavailable (and it might be their week to lead a topic) and this can be annoying

What you'll need to for study group:

1. Same as points listed for individual, with the caveat that study guide only might be enough (if resource-constrained). Certainly if you can pay for official courses then do these courses. It's not mutually exclusive to study group and offers another way to reinforce learning. Why study guide at a minimum? It's because it gives you both structure and direction - you'll need to pay for it yourself (as per HL7 licensing agreements). You can map topics to group members.
2. You still need to do your individual work - yes group members will help but like anything, don't do your own homework and you will leave a gap. You can't blame team members for what you didn't cover/learn. You can learn from them of course.
3. Team charter with agreement - so spending time to get to know each other can be important at the start of any group. Establishing team rules and norms (within a charter) can be useful to help work out if people are on the same page and ensuring you have a reference document for what you've agreed upon. Team charters can include things such as: how often you meet, acceptable (e.g. email/message a day ahead if can't attend) or unacceptable behaviors (e.g. unacceptable - no swearing). These documents can also serve as reference material if striking any problems - as you can quickly point out any violation to team charter. Not everything may be listed in charter - but certainly the important things can be included. You may find some early disagreement when writing up team charter - this is pretty normal and part of early team forming.
4. Roster - like the above, you can find that having a roster might be helpful. Split the topics. Decide each meeting on who will facilitate, who will time-keep and who might present (if this applies). Rotate roles and you'll find that you'll grow as a team and benefit from extra skills (I'd encourage you to step outside your comfort zone). Have an agenda/frame that you use and try and keep it consistent. Spend a few minutes at the start of the meeting to have ice-breaker, be respectful of each other and try and have fun.
5. If the group isn't working then don't be afraid to leave it and form another one. This isn't personal (although could be). Study group is around having a tool/environment where you can learn best. If you're finding study group detrimental, be transparent with group members and let them know. Don't ghost your team and if having work difficulties then explain what's going on (as sometimes group members might be supportive and experiencing the same things!).

Last suggestion for groups: Tuckman's model (Wikipedia - Tuckman's )

I'd suggest people to reflect on Tuckman's model - be aware of the stages of forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. If you find yourselves disagreeing early on, then be aware that this might be around the storming/norming phase. Be aware that you can shift back and forward under Tuckman's model. I find that if you have a committed group with shared goals/values then this helps. Don't be afraid to speak up if you don't understand something or you're stuck. Your team members may (or may not) be able to help.

Final thoughts:

So whatever the case, whether you choose individual or study groups, please leverage the LI group (and chat channels). FHIR certified have certainly been there in one form or another and are available to give advice/support/direction. While we can't do your study for you, we may be able to guide you in your efforts. Be aware also that there is the HL7 Zulip chat - you can post questions there and interact with the whole HL7 community.

Lastly, GLHF (good luck and have fun!)