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How to Organise a Training Day
Download the feedback form | Download an example Certificate Of Attendance
Preparation_and_Planning
Evaluation/Feedback_Forms
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Attendance
Suggested_Timetable_for_Training_Day
Proposed_timetable_for_organisation
Content of the day
The content of the day is at the discretion of the registrars who are designated to organise the session. You may find it helpful to look back at the programmes of other training days to get ideas. You should aim to have a variety of teaching styles incorporated into the day with a good balance between didactic and interactive teaching.
Examples of didactic teaching would be a lecture by a Consultant or Specialist in the relevant field or watching a video or slide show.
Examples of interactive teaching include; - Small group work discussion e.g. case studies - Debate - Discussion of homework e.g. literature review - Role plays - Quiz - Case discussions with ‘experts’, x-ray reviews with Radiologist - Workshops/scenarios e.g. APLS – d/w committee
You can discuss any ideas you have with a member of the Education Committee if you need advice. There should be a representative nominated for your training day.
Organising Speakers
Organising speakers and facilitators for a training day can be difficult and stressful! If you decide you would like a Consultant or Specialist to attend the day then approach them as early as possible – particularly important for speakers out of region. Ask them if they are able to commit to the day and whether there are restrictions to them being available in the morning or afternoon only.
If you fix and confirm these sessions it is probably then easier to slot other activities such as group work, scenarios around them.
As the timetable for the day takes shape contact your speakers to check confirmation of availability and send them a copy of the timetable (even if provisional).
It is important to inform your speakers of the IT facilities available at your venue so they don’t turn up expecting a floppy disk drive or a slide projector when there isn’t one. You may need to request specific facilities from the PGC e.g. TV and video if needed.
If appropriate for your speaker’s presentation ask if it is possible for them to e-mail their presentation to you so after the day arrangements can be made to put it onto eMITTEN. This gives an opportunity to those who couldn’t make the training day to read it.
Keep some ideas for sessions in reserve in case of last minute cancellations!
Payment for Speakers
Visiting lecturers or non-health speakers e.g. from Education can be reimbursed for travel expenses and can also receive a lecture fee payment. It is polite to offer such reimbursement to your visiting speaker at the time you request their attendance. Sometimes the speaker is unsure what to ‘charge’. In the past this has been negotiable and previous suggestions have included the Education Committee making a donation to a chosen charity on the speaker’s behalf (e.g. £50 - £100).
If there is going to be a formal request for reimbursement please ask your speaker to write an invoice. The payment will then be arranged via the treasurer – contact Donna Traves.
Please note: All requests for funding must be discussed with your mentor or a member of the training committee as early as possible.
Small Group Work
The use of small group work should be strongly considered for all training days where applicable. Small group work is intended to provide a forum for brainstorming, discussion of controversial issues or a chance to compare case studies or portfolios.
Homework
This is intended to facilitate learning by stimulating interest and provoking thought prior to the day itself. Recent examples of homework include:
- reading conflicting evidence regarding the benefits of head cooling and whole body cooling for severe head injuries - reading the standards set out in the National Service Framework for Children
The homework is not intended to be onerous but merely a tool to provoke discussion and debate on the day.
Aims & Objectives
In order to help participants focus on the educational content of the day we would recommend starting the day by introducing the theme of the day and presenting their aims and objectives.
Aims: This is the overall intention of the day. For example, if the training day theme is Emergency Paediatric Medicine the aim of the day would be to ‘facilitate learning in the field of Emergency Paediatrics’.
Objectives: These are statements proposed by the organisers describing what the participants will be able to do at the end of the session that they could not do at the beginning. E.g.
- List 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of buccal midazolam in the treatment of status epilepticus.
Aims and objectives should be based around the RCPCH
competencies
Framework for
Competencies for Core HST (Oct 2005)
or more recently the competencies published in 2007. These can be found on the
RCPCH website or by clicking
here.
The day should close with a brief summary and reflection of the day. Participants should have the opportunity to evaluate the day by commenting at the time and completing evaluation questionnaires.
There is a template for the Feedback Form available on eMITTEN. You should modify this for you training day to include details of the different sessions. The forms should be distributed at the start of the day and collected at the end. They should then be returned to the 'Training Day Mentor' as soon as possible. The forms are then analysed and you will receive direct feedback about your training day. It is recommend you write a summary of your training day, including the feedback you receive, for your portfolio. It is also good practice to pass on individual feedback to your speakers for their own professional development.
Sponsorship for Training Days is currently suspended. Trainees should bring their own packed lunch or buy lunch from the canteen. Drug Reps will be invited from time to time to talk about new products but lunch sponsorship will no longer be seeked.
Attendance at training days is compulsory and will be reviewed at the yearly RITA interview. All registrars are asked to be courteous and stay until the day has ended. This is only polite to both the last speakers and those who have organised the day.
Attendance is monitored by a signing-in sheet which is kept at the PGC reception. Registrars are also to be issued with a certificate of attendance that should be kept in their portfolio. You are asked not to issue the certificates until the end of the day. Those that only attend half the day due to on-call commitments should be issued with a different certificate stating only half-day attendance. You should download the certificate and adjust it for your training day.
If you are unable to attend or can only attend part of the day you are asked to inform Dr Grant via e-mail judith.grant@nuh.nhs.uk. Usual reasons for non-attendance apply i.e. sickness, annual leave, nights (pre and post), cover of service commitment.
Suggested Timetable for Training Day
Coffee
Introduction - 9.30am Aims and Objectives
Session 1
Mid morning coffee/tea break – 15-20 minutes
Session 2
Lunch – from 12pm onwards for 45 – 60 minutes
Session 3
Optional afternoon break – 10 – 15 minutes
Session 4
Close – 4pm – Closure and evaluation
Proposed timetable for organisation
6 months
- Contact Registrar allocated to work with and discuss ideas
4 – 6 months
- Begin to invite speakers
4 months
- If training day away from QMC confirm venue and lunch. Consider if need additional rooms if workshops etc
2 months
- Re-confirm speakers availability
1 month
- Check IT requirements of speakers and confirm venue has necessary equipment
- Distribute ‘homework’/reading to registrars if issuing
2 weeks
- Distribute timetable of day to speakers and check ‘titles’ of lectures
- Submit timetable to eMITTEN
- Download template for evaluation from and attendance certificate from eMITTEN and amend for your day
The big day!
- Make sure the attendance register is completed and attendance certificates are distributed in return for an evaluation form
- On day or as soon as – return completed evaluation forms
- Before you forget – write a summary for your portfolio and forward feedback to your speakers