Well it has improved some, earlier you didn't even need to be in fight. You just used the skill and got xp, so you only needed to wait for the cool down. Citan didn't much like people training First Aid standing at the well all day.

hmm, I don't know about healing and not being in the fight. I would hope it would sort of automatically put you in the fight. I know you get quest rewards for kills that you are just standing near or running away from :-| but think you have to be near for the kill.