Kognito clients share glimpse into their success

We recently had an illuminating session with a few of our key clients to spotlight their Kognito success stories and how they are leveraging virtual simulation to change lives. We believe in the power of conversations, and we wanted to have a dialogue with our clients to hear — in their own words — about their Kognito experience. Here’s a brief summary of what we heard about why they chose Kognito, what they’ve achieved, and factors that have contributed to their success. 

Why Kognito? 

Our clients choose us for a variety of different reasons, because every institution’s needs and search criteria vary. 

Some need a way to rapidly build the capacity of students and staff. Others need an evidence-based program to fulfill requirements. Many are drawn to the interactive component of Kognito’s simulations, as well as the flexibility it offers because of the virtual platform. 

Regardless of their reason for choosing Kognito, the clients we heard from all chose to continue working with us for two, three, or even 10+ years is the same—they’ve seen results. 

Big wins from Kognito clients 

Below are just a few highlights that showcase our clients’ success, but they don’t tell the whole story. To learn more about some of these and other Kognito success stories, check out our case studies on Kognito.com. 

• The University of Florida has successfully trained over 40,000 faculty, staff and students to improve student mental health 
• Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) celebrated its highest single year peak utilization of Kognito, with over 1,500 students completing the At Risk simulation 
• The state of Oklahoma nearly doubled their goal, with over 19,000 users taking the At Risk training in Oklahoma Public Schools 
• The state of Minnesota has created a learning pathway for many school districts across the state, with nearly 10,000 users taking the At Risk and Friend2Friend trainings
• Americares, a global nonprofit with free healthcare clinics across the U.S., has seen a 60% increase in the number of patients screened since implementing Kognito’s SBIRT trainings 

The secret to their success 

The central theme we heard when asking what contributed to our clients’ success is that it’s vital to get support from the right people. 

The right people vary from institution to institution. It could be support from administration, a collaboration between agencies, or support from individuals who act as ambassadors on the ground, spreading the word to their colleagues or peers about the importance of completing the Kognito experience. Or it could be a combination of these groups. 

We heard from several clients that once trainees complete the Kognito experience, they are the best champions to spread the word, because they see the immense value in the training. It just takes a push and the right initial support to get that first wave of people to experience the power of role-play conversations with virtual humans — an experience that can be difficult to explain without experiencing it first-hand. 

In their words 

“The staff that take it [the Kognito simulation] think about how they’re having those conversations and it really has made a difference. I can’t tell you how many qualitative stories I’ve heard … the increase of confidence … the less intimidating feeling of having to do role plays in front of people, but yet actually building skills to have conversation in a virtual format.”       – Stephanie Downey, Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Health 

“I’m very proud of the strides we’ve made for suicide prevention in the state of Oklahoma. Thank you very much to Kognito’s partnership for the content that is shared, which I adore.” – Julie Geddes, Sr. Suicide Prevention Field Representative, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

“We really liked how it [Kognito] wasn’t just a typical training … this was a different spin on it, and our providers are really loving that. They’ve had lots of training in other different areas but nothing like this, so we’ve gotten a lot of good feedback.” – Shelby Leonard, Program manager, US programs, Health Equity, Americares 

We’re honored to be a part of these journeys and the impact made in their communities. The work that they do goes beyond the walls of their institutions — it extends to the countless people who come into contact with those whose lives they’ve helped. From everyone at Kognito, we’d like to say thank you to the change makers who are making a difference.