Training injury control practitioners: the Indian Health Service model

Many individuals practicing injury control have not received specific training for their work, in large part because of a scarcity of training opportunities. Consistent with its mission of "raising the health status of American Indian and Alaska Native people to the highest possible level," the Indian Health Service (IHS) created an innovative training program for federal and tribal employees. The model emphasizes training that is practical and can be applied immediately to community interventions. Many features of the IHS training model have broad applicability to other settings. These features include the use of experiential instruction, preceptors, and community case studies to train individuals from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds; educational strategies for employed adults; and courses that promote community empowerment. The development of IHS training courses are guided by community input, epidemiological data, advances in knowledge, and program evaluations. Courses range from a half-day "minicourse" to a full-year fellowship program. The success of the training model is evident in programs instituted by IHS Injury Prevention Specialist Fellowship graduates, whose projects have ranged from drowning prevention in Alaska to fire safety in North Dakota. The IHS training model could be applied in a variety of other community-based settings, but it is most relevant to programs that train individuals from diverse backgrounds who are not full-time students and programs that make community needs an organizational priority.