California's COVID-19 Virtual Training Academy: Rapid Scale-Up of a Statewide Contact Tracing and Case Investigation Workforce Training Program

Abstract

Case investigation (CI) and contact tracing (CT) are key to containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Widespread community transmission necessitates a large, diverse workforce with specialized knowledge and skills. The University of California, San Francisco and Los Angeles partnered with the California Department of Public Health to rapidly mobilize and train a CI/CT workforce. In April through August 2020, a team of public health practitioners and health educators constructed a training program to enable learners from diverse backgrounds to quickly acquire the competencies necessary to function effectively as CIs and CTs. Between April 27 and May 5, the team undertook a curriculum design sprint by performing a needs assessment, determining relevant goals and objectives, and developing content. The initial four-day curriculum consisted of 13 hours of synchronous live web meetings and 7 hours of asynchronous, self-directed study. Educational content emphasized the principles of COVID-19 exposure, infectious period, isolation and quarantine guidelines and the importance of prevention and control interventions. A priority was equipping learners with skills in rapport building and health coaching through facilitated web-based small group skill development sessions. The training was piloted among 31 learners and subsequently expanded to an average weekly audience of 520 persons statewide starting May 7, reaching 7,499 unique enrollees by August 31. Capacity to scale and sustain the training program was afforded by the UCLA Extension Canvas learning management system. Repeated iteration of content and format was undertaken based on feedback from learners, facilitators, and public health and community-based partners. It is feasible to rapidly train and deploy a large workforce to perform CI and CT. Interactive skills-based training with opportunity for practice and feedback are essential to develop independent, high-performing CIs and CTs. Rigorous evaluation will continue to monitor quality measures to improve the training experience and outcomes.

Implementation of a Nationwide Knowledge-Based COVID-19 Contact Tracing Training Program, 2020

“…For example, California positioned Making Contact as a prerequisite for its virtual skills-based training academy, and North Carolina included Making Contact as a module in its contact tracing training orientation. 14 , 20 , 21…”

“…We describe the rapid development and implementation of Making Contact and share lessons learned during this work to support the pandemic response workforce. While examples of locally based contact tracing training programs are described in the literature, 12 - 15 to our knowledge, this case study is the first US study summarizing the development and implementation of a nationwide knowledge-based COVID-19 contact tracer training program.…”

“…In addition, the asynchronous delivery modality provided flexibility for learners incorporating the course into their schedules. 14 …”

“…In addition, the asynchronous delivery modality provided flexibility for learners incorporating the course into their schedules. 14 Second, offering a range of implementation options and sharing the training with key public health leaders can promote course utilization among the practice community. We supported robust uptake of the course among public health agency staff by providing a range of options for state and local training providers to adapt and integrate the course into their jurisdiction-specific curricula and supplement with more in-depth trainings, such as those released by Johns Hopkins University.…”

Real World Feedback: How Well Did the Virtual Training Academy Prepare California's COVID-19 Contact Tracing Workforce?

“…The CT-only track was discontinued in December 2020 as the state experienced an increased demand for CIs. Additional details about training development and content ( 7 ) and evaluation of the impact of the program on trainees' knowledge and self-perceived skills ( 8 ) are published elsewhere.…”