Building the HRH Road Map for the Caribbean: The Education and Training Component

1. Building the HRH Road Map for the Caribbean: The Education and Training Component Eugenie Brown-Myrie Associate Professor of Pharmacy University of Technology, Jamaica

2. Education and Training Objectives

3. Road Map Goal • To strengthen the Caribbean Workforce by re-orientation of professional competencies and reorganization of work processes and standards toward primary health care, disease prevention, and management of long-term chronic health conditions.

4. Education & Training is critical to the achievement of this goal

5. Education & Training Objectives • To strengthen capacities in primary health care and public health so as to improve productivity, enhance skills and improve quality and standards of patient care. • Strengthen competencies in long term care and NCDs • To nurture leadership skills in health care professionals

6. Education & Training Objectives • Coordination of health services and academic institutions in the development of management programmes • Formation of a Caribbean Learning Network (CLN) partnering with academic institutions to support in-service training, curricula enhancements and online skills building.

7. Education & Training Objectives • Development of accredited training programmes through partnership of CLN and regional academic and other training institutions. • Development and implementation of distance education initiatives for improvements in skills and competencies.

8. Benefits of Education and Training • One of the key benefits of employee training is that employees are able to learn new skills or improve their existing skills in area of specialization. • Improved skills directly translate into reduced costs, improved productivity, and increased efficiency in health care delivery. • E & T also improve morale and may even motivate employees to become more efficient and productive.

9. Benefits of Education and Training • Improved worker experience/greater job satisfaction • Offering training can help employees become more confident in their skills and abilities, leading to increased morale and better self-esteem • Reduce migration or staff movements • Improved patient-provider relationship (communication, empathy)

10. Academic and other Training institutions • University of the West Indies (UWI) • University of Technology (UTech) • Northern Caribbean University (NCU) • St. Georges University • University of Guyana • Community Colleges • Global partners, e.g. PAHO (technical assistance) • Providers of Continuing Medical Education /Continuing Professional Development

11. Role of Academic Institutions/Collaborating Partners • Work to accelerate and improve the supply of quality health workers by strengthening pre-service education • Help countries develop strategic approaches to in-service training and continuing professional development that meet health workers’ needs.

12. Types of Technical Assistance • Improving the management efficiency of health professional schools so they can produce more high-quality health workers • Identifying the most strategic investment opportunities for ministries of health and health professional schools to scale up production of high-quality health workers to meet local health needs • Assisting to identify innovative sources of funding for health professional schools • Helping schools to identify and remove their bottlenecks to producing more students

13. Types of Technical Assistance • Assisting health professional schools in setting targets and implementation plans for increased production of high-quality graduates • Integrating health professional schools into the health system and the communities they serve • Providing a variety of assessments and assistance for health professional schools, including: • Improved faculty development and retention • Curricula assessment and development

14. Types of Technical Assistance • Developing and delivering demand-driven, high-quality Internet and technologically-based in-service training that meets the real needs of health workers. • Providing other technical assistance to design, deliver, or improve in-service training or continuing professional development.

15. Collaboration is Key to Success