Allied health manpower training project, (538-0055) : project assistance completion report

Lucia, Barbados, and other Eastern Carribean nations. Three EHO classes were held in St. Lucia for a total of 40 students, and two EHA classes were held, in St. Lucia and Antigua, for a total of 58 graduates. Most graduates of these programs have remained employed in their fields and respective countries, although in some cases the countries that requested the training cannot, once the training is completed, afford to hire the trainees. For example, St. Lucia was unable to support all the EHA's it asked to be trained, and there was no support at all for dental assistants (a factor that caused the dental component to be dropped). In general, however, the public health capabilities of the participating governments have been improved. A separate component provided EMP training and support for the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) of Barbados' Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). The contractor (Project HOPE) provided a physician who was appointed acting head of QEH's AED. During his tenure, new emergency room protocols were introduced and 14 physicians were trained. Although an illness prevented the acting head from completing his assignment, progress was such that the project goal was broadened to include improving all AED services; the training program was expanded to include training Emergency Room nurses. As a result, 26 nurses were trained and 42 emergency medical technicians were hired and trained to provide pre-hospital emergency services. QEH's emergency medical capabilities were transformed. A number of recommendations are made. Graduates of project training programs should undergo continuing in-service training, and their professional progress should be monitored to ensure that training in fact speaks to their professional needs. Also, the support of local professional associations is important to ensure the appropriateness of the project-initiated training programs in St. Lucia, which will/may be revived by the newly formed Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. The project teaches four lessons. (1) It is possible to design effective training programs which do not encourage graduates to seek greater opportunities in developed countries. (2) Absence of regionally accepted accreditation for graduates has been an obstacle to getting further training. (3) One cannot overemphasize the importance of clearly defining the positions for which training programs are being designed. Some EHA's still do not have clearly defined jobs. (4) In Barbados in particular, social norms play an important role in determining whether a particular innovation is adopted.