A WEEK-long training program for health professional educators was held in Port Moresby, with about 80 participants attending from nearly all nursing colleges and community health worker schools across Papua New Guinea. The training was organized jointly by the National Department of Health, Department of Higher Education Science and Technology, WHO Collaborating Centre (WHO CCT) for Nursing, Midwifery and Development, and the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
This training is part of the project called “Evidence-based Curriculum Development and Implementation of National Curricula for Diploma of General Nursing and Certificate for Community Health Workers,” which aims to strengthen 72% of the health workforce in Papua New Guinea. Managed by the National Department of Health with financial support from the Australian Government through WHO CCT University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), the project began in 2021.
The training introduced participants from 15 nursing and 17 CHW schools to the Continuing Professional Development Program (CPDP), also known as the Fast Track Project, which aims to equip educators with skills to teach the new curricula and to develop curricula in the future. The curricula have been revised and are in the implementation stage. Key implementers worked together in teams with great commitment to develop the curricula.
The CPDP program aims to provide Recognition of Prior Learning into academic programs that will hopefully be developed in partnership with the University of PNG. The programs, provisionally called Bachelor of Health Professional Education and Graduate Diploma of Health Professional Education, will enable participants to increase their knowledge, skills, and competency as teachers of health professionals. The CPD program outlined in this training will form part of that academic award once it is approved.
Professor Michelle Ramsey, Director for WHO CCT, said that talks are being held with relevant authorities and partners, including the University of Papua New Guinea, to offer these needed programs. Those who began the CPDP at this workshop will receive a certificate at the end of the workshop and a proposed qualification after two years if they continue and complete all the work-based assessments in the program.
NDOH human resource technical advisor Mary Kililo said that this training is preparing the participants to teach the new curricula, which are due for delivery in 2024. She added that the project under which the curricula were reviewed was divided into four phases, the last of which is on implementation, which will require the mobilization of resources. The new curricula will be taught starting next year.
