International Pain School

How to go about organizing a Train the trainer workshop?

If you plan to organize a Train the Trainer workshop consider the following issues. These are recommendations based on experience we gained after holding four pilot Train the trainer workshops in different countries. You may modify the steps to suit the needs of your institution and co-healthcare workers. Please contact us if you would like to discuss a framework which can be implemented according to your needs.

Bear in mind – the principle of the Train the trainer workshop is that a trainer who is a specialist in pain, reviews and teaches the contents of one talk with one trainee on a one to one basis; trainees learn the information related to one topic after which they themselves become trainers to other trainees in their hospital or country.

• Venue

  The workshop can take place in your hospital or as part of a national pain, anesthesia or surgical meeting.

  Consider

  1. Is access to the conference venue convenient? This will facilitate attendance of trainers, trainees and attendees.
  2. Involving the IASP-chapter in your country.
• Sponsorship
  1. Check for educational grants or other forms of sponsorship in the websites of the European Pain Federation EFIC (for Eastern and South- East Europe) or IASP.
  2. If the workshop is part of a scientific meeting, ask the host if its possible to:
     1. Sponsor the venue
     2. Arrange local transportation for the international faculty
     3. That conference fees for both trainers and trainees are waived.
  3. Trainers might be able to obtain sponsorship for travel and accommodation themselves.
• Host's preparations

  Host’s preparations for the workshop and evaluations during and after the workshop:

  The trainer who is a specialist in pain, reviews and teaches, on a one-to-one basis, the contents of one talk with one trainee;

  Trainees study the information related to one topic after which they themselves become trainers to other trainees in their hospital or country.

  1. Recruiting the trainers
     1. Either from the International Faculty list (see INTERNATIONAL FACULTY NILS can you hyperlink?) or local or international specialists in pain known to the host.
     2. One trainer can, typically, review and teach 2-3 trainees.
  2. Identifying the trainees
     1. Recommended prerequisites: healthcare professional, physician or nurse or other treating patients who have pain in their clinical routine; willing to teach and train others about pain; younger age; motivated; personally known to host (preferable, allows to ascertain interest and commitment).
  3. Introducing the principles of the workshop to the trainees.
  4. Matching a trainer to a trainee for one-to-one training and create initial contact by sending each the respective email addresses.
  5. Sending trainees notification about the talk allotted to them, together with information how to access the Teaching Tools from the TtT website.
     1. Ask them to review the talk prior to the workshop.
     2. Do this about four weeks before the workshop.
  6. Evaluating the program - see Evaluating the Train the trainer program.
• The workshop

  Day 1 - on site training; trainers train the trainees

  1. The host reviews the aims of the TtT project and its methodology (~15 min).
  2. Trainees fill- in a questionnaire assessing knowledge about pain management (~15 min). Evaluating the Train the trainer program.
  3. The host gives the talk A good presentation: how to avoid lecture disasters.
  4. Trainers and trainees carry out the training sessions:
     1. The number of sessions will depend on the number of participating trainers and trainees.
     2. A training session can last about 2 hours.

  
  

  Day 2 - on site training; trainees prepare their talk

  1. Trainees will study /shorten/amend slides (minimum 24 hrs).
  2. Trainees will rehearse their talk with the trainers.

  
  

  Day 3 – trainees give their talk

  1. If the talks are given as part of a conference, arrange for a dedicated session in which each trainee is allotted 20 - 30 minute time slots. If the talks are given during a different event, set aside time during which the talks will be given.
     1. The conference host and or trainers may act as Chair of this session.
  2. Presentations can be given in English or in the local language.
     1. Choice of language could depend on the confidence and proficiency of the trainees and the local audience in English.
  3. If circumstances allow, the trainers and / or audience will give feedback regarding the trainee´s presentation using a structured questionnaire (download from Evaluating the program).
• Sustainability
  1. For a minimum of 12 months following the workshop, trainees become trainers and ambassadors of pain management.
  2. Trainers will give the talk they learned at a departmental level, to colleagues from other disciplines in their hospital, during grand rounds or at regional or national conferences.
     1. Aim to give the talk at least once a quarter.
     2. Contact the national pain association to plan and organize talks.
     3. Aim to train at least one new trainer.
     4. Aim to enhance the presentations and make them locally relevant by preparing case-based scenarios derived from local clinical experience. Please send the scenarios to the International Pain School organizers, so that they can build a library of cases.
  3. The original trainers will
     1. Remain, for at least 12 months, available to give the trainees advice for upcoming presentations and answer questions in pain medicine.
     2. Evaluate frequency and type of presentation as well as possible barriers regarding further educational activities on the basis of reports given by the trainees regarding obstacles they faced and problem solving strategies.
• Evaluating the Train the trainer program

  Work in progress

  As the TtT program is experimental and will be evolving with time, the chairpersons of the International Pain School would very much appreciate for feedback about different aspects of the program. We will use this information to improve the program.

  We prepared several questionnaires, each addressing different features of the program and aimed at a different participant. Please give the following questionnaires to the trainers, trainees, audience, yourself.

  Once you had the data, we will provide you with a spreadsheet for inputting the data.

  	Questionnaire	Filled in by	Download
  1	Evaluating trainees and teaching materials	Trainers Audience	here
  2	Evaluating trainees and teaching materials	Trainers	here
  3	Evaluating knowledge about management of pain	Trainers Audience	here
  4	Assessing sustainability of training at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after the workshop	Local coordinator	here