The Induction Team Member Training Course Fitted to the Scope and Background of the Participants: A Case Study of the African Setting

Abstract

Background/Introduction:

The Induction Team Member (ITM) course is compulsory training for teams setting up an EMT. It encapsulates elements around safety and security, protocols and procedures, and familiarization with equipment and should happen in countries that have undergone the awareness session.¹ Tailoring the ITM course to fit different countries settings and professional backgrounds is imperative, particularly in Africa, because countries have heterogeneous characteristics.

Objectives:

To describe the changes to the ITM Course curriculum adapted to the different professional backgrounds and technical scopes of potential team members (TM) and African countries.

Method/Description:

This is an After-Action Review (AAR) of in-depth feedback (n = 10) received from participants in the five trainings that have been conducted at the WHO African Regional EMT Training Center (TC) since 2021 to date. All analyses were done thematically.

Results/Outcomes:

The training experiences in the region have shown the need for three imperative modifications to the ITM course based on the type of EMTs and the background of the participants. These include ITM courses focusing on health workers (Doctors and Nurses); team leads, security, and logistics officials; and support staff that can work during deployment and pre-deployment tasks. An interactive ten steps to building an operational national EMTs initiative developed to fit the context has been shown as significant.

Conclusion:

Conceptualizing ITM course training for EMTs based on teams’ backgrounds, cultural circumstances, and political will is imperative for enhancing the capacity of regional countries’ EMTs. A pragmatic modification to the training to fit the context that captures the countries’ needs is key.