Training trainers: a new approach for community medicine

During 1985, two separate one-day seminars for trainees and trainers in South East Thames Regional Health Authority highlighted the need for a 'training the trainers' course to be run for trainers throughout the Region. This was held during 1987 and this paper gives a descriptive account of the course, highlights the lessons learnt, and summarises the evaluation obtained from participants. Thirteen trainers started the course, one changed jobs and left the Region, leaving twelve completing the course. Spread over nine months, the course included an initial weekend but was mainly run on a day release basis. The facilitators for the course, a psychologist and sociologist, had teaching experience in running similar courses for GP trainers. The course emphasised an adult learning model in which the trainer enabled the trainee to identify and meet their learning needs through appropriate support and facilitation. Although the career change from clinical work to public health medicine is likely to be more traumatic than other transitions within clinical medicine, the approach is applicable on a much wider basis.