PALS Training Approach
What’s so special about PALS trainings?
The PALS training approach and programme for Change Agents, health facility leadership and for PALS Trainers has been developed and implemented to train health care workers and Medical Directors/Chief Medical Directors to enable them to initiate and maintain the necessary IPC improvement processes in their health facilities.
The training programme offers an intensive PALS experience to its participants: instead of teaching and lecturing PALS, we model and live it. We invite all participants to experience participatory processes and systemic thinking. Exercises of communication and team building are on the agenda, as well as discussion rounds, group work and individual reflection time. Participants are encouraged to speak up and listen to each other. Workshop modules are interlinked with field phases to foster active inquiry into their daily IPC practice applying the newly developed perspectives, process skills and attitudes.
In the trainings we use models, tools and instruments which are practice based and easy to transfer to the daily work context. These models help to analyse challenging IPC situation as well as plan and monitor activities.
The training approach finds slightly different manifestations in the design of the training programmes for different target groups.
The Change Agent training programme
Change Agents are trained by a multi-module training programme. PALS trainers facilitate the programme.
Each participating health facility sends four health care workers to the programme. The colleagues have different professional backgrounds and might already be members of the IPC team or committee in place in their hospital. The Change Agents will work as a Change Agent team throughout the training and later on. Workshop modules (WS) alternate with field phases (FPH).
The PALS Change Agent training programme consists of six modules: ->
IPC refresher or basic course (online or in person)
PALS Workshop 1 (4 days, introduction to the PALS concept)
Field Phase (PALS application in the health facility)
PALS Workshop 2 (3 days, reflection on the PALS in practice experiences and engagement of the Medical Directors/Chief Medical Directors)
PALS mentoring phase (6 months + PALS Day)
Closing event and Certification.
Participants collaborate and write reports on activities and experiences during the training programme and share them with trainers to discuss and reflect on the ongoing process. The Change Agent teams are mentored by PALS Trainers during the different field experiences. Particularly, the mentoring period of six months offers an intensive learning period and provides monthly visits by trainers in the hospitals. Trainers do not come as supervisors but as mentors whose objective it is to actively accompany the teams in emerging challenges and celebrate together successes.
Medical Directors/Chief Medical Directors are our “Number 1 PALS Change Agents” in the health facility. They are always informed of the ongoing training and IPC activities in their health facility by Change Agents. Furthermore, they participate in some important sessions of the Training programme together with the CAs.
All modules of the Training programme are evaluated by participants to constantly improve the quality of the programme and acknowledge the emerging needs.
The Trainer training programme (PALS ToT)
PALS trainers are invited to a multi-module training programme that enables them to train Change Agents in PALS. The participants of the PALS ToT are IPC experienced and have already facilitated trainings in the health care system. Preferably, trainers are grouped in working teams too like the Change Agents, e.g. as state teams.
The Training programme for PALS trainers offers a deep understanding of PALS concept and competences by interlinking theory and practice phases. It adds experiences and reflections on teaching and learning and provides didactical skills regarding the role of a PALS Trainer. It enables participants to plan, guide and support experience-oriented learning scenarios and to conduct trainings in a trainer team. Therefore, even the implementation of a Change Agents Training including the mentoring phase is part of their Training programme. Each module of the ToT is facilitated and mentored by PALS experts to ensure the quality of the learning processes for both target groups.
The PALS Training of Trainers consists of nine modules –>
IPC refresher or basic course (in person or online)
Field phase 1 (IPC needs assessment)
PALS Workshop 1 (5 days, PALS concept)
Field phase 2 (PALS application in the health facility)
Workshop 2 (5 days, PALS and practice)
Field phase 3 (PALS training session)
PALS Workshop 3 (Planning of CAs training programme)
Field phase 4: Implementation of a full cycle of the CA training programme
Closing event and certification.
All modules of the Training programme are evaluated by participants to constantly improve the quality of the programme and acknowledge the emerging needs.
