To Boldly Go: A Partnership Enterprise to Produce Applied Health and Nursing Services Researchers in Canada

Objective: Our objective was to identify desirable attributes to be developed through graduate training in health services and policy research (HsPR) by identifying the knowledge, skills and abilities thought to be keys to success in HsPR-related careers. We aimed for a framework clear enough to serve as a touchstone for HsPR training programs across Canada yet flexible enough to permit diversity of specialization across and within those programs. Methods: Our approach involved several stages of data collection and analysis: a review of literature; telephone interviews with opinion leaders; online surveys of HsPR students, recent graduates and employers; an invitational workshop; and an interactive panel at a national conference. Our final framework was arrived at through an iterative process of thematic analysis, reflection on invited feedback from consultation participants and triangulation with existing competency frameworks. Results: Our final result was a framework that identifies traits, knowledge and abilities of master' s-level graduates who are capable of fostering health system improvement through planning, management, analysis or monitoring that is informed by credible evidence and relevant theory. These attributes are organized into three levels: generic graduate attributes, knowledge related to health and health systems and, finally, attributes related to the application of knowledge for health system improvement. The HsPR-specific attributes include not only an understanding of HsPR theories and methods but also the skills related to the practical application of knowledge in the complex environments of health system decision-making and healthcare policy. Conclusion: master' s-level HsPR training programs should prepare students to pose and seek answers to important questions and provide them with the skills necessary to apply their knowledge within complex decision-making environments. RésuméObjectif : Notre objectif était de déterminer les caractéristiques souhaitables pour la formation des diplômés en recherche sur les services et les politiques de santé (RsPs), en repérant les connaissances, les compétences et les habiletés pouvant mener à la réussite d'une carrière dans la RsPs. Nous avons voulu établir un cadre suffisamment clair pour servir de modèle pour les programmes de formation en RsPs au Canada, tout en étant suffisamment souple pour permettre la diversité des spécialisations parmi ces programmes. Méthodologie : Notre démarche comprend plusieurs étapes pour la collecte et l' analyse des données : une revue de la littérature; des entrevues par téléphone auprès de leaders d' opinion; des sondages en ligne auprès des étudiants, des jeunes diplômés et des employeurs dans le domaine de la RsPs; un atelier de travail sur invitation; et un panel interactif au cours d'un colloque national. Nous avons forgé le cadre au moyen d'une

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Online Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

Graduate Attributes for Master's Programs in Health Services and Policy Research: Results of a National Consultation

Morgan¹,

Orr²,

Mah³

2010

“…T HE PURPOSE IN ESTABLISHING THE REGIONAL TRAINING CENTRES (RTCs) -the Western Regional Training Centre (WRTC), the Ontario Training Centre (OTC), Quebec' s Centre de formation et d' expertise en recherche en administration des services infirmiers (FERASI), the Atlantic Regional Training Centre (ARTC) and one national centre, the Centre for Knowledge Transfer -was to increase the number of applied health and nursing services researchers at the graduate level and, whenever possible, to create synergy with other programs of the funders, the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (see Conrad 2008 for a discussion of this partnership). The funders hoped that by encouraging flexibility in the RTCs' program development, new and different educational models would emerge.…”

Section: Key Messagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Fourth-Year Review: Different Paths to Success

Davey¹,

Altman²

2008

An independent mid-term review of Regional Training Centres (RTCs) to prepare health and nursing services researchers found that the centres were doing a remarkable job in achieving the objectives of the program. The RTCs were using innovative and varied organizational models to deliver high-quality education in applied health and nursing services research, and were offering these programs at multiple university sites, often across provinces. The RTCs received excellent support from the participating universities, and were attracting students willing to exceed the formal degree requirements of their universities to gain access to decision-makers in placements/residencies and institutes and workshops. The decision-makers, in turn, valued this contact as it provided access to a cadre of well prepared, potential future employees and, significantly, to the body of research that the students produced. The major challenge now for the RTCs, the universities and the funders lies in developing appropriate models for sustaining this enormously successful experiment when the 10-year funding period ends. RésuméSelon un examen indépendant de mi-parcours effectué en 2005, les Centres région-aux de formation (CRF) réalisaient un travail remarquable dans l' atteinte des objectifs du programme. Les CRF utilisaient des modèles organisationnels novateurs et variés afin d' offrir des programmes de formation de qualité dans le domaine de la recherche appliquée en services de santé et de soins infirmiers. Ces programmes étaient offerts dans plusieurs universités et souvent dans des provinces autres que celles où se trouvaient les Centres. Les CRF recevaient un appui solide des universités et attiraient des étudiants désireux de dépasser les exigences officielles requises par leur université pour obtenir leur diplôme afin d' avoir accès aux décideurs lors de stages ou dans des établissements ou des ateliers. Les décideurs, quant à eux, avaient à coeur ce contact puisqu'il donnait accès à un cadre de futurs employés bien préparés et, de façon significative, à l' ensemble de la recherche effectuée par les étudiants. Actuellement, le grand défi pour les CRF, les universités et les bailleurs de fonds consiste à élaborer des modèles valables pour soutenir cette expérience grandement réussie au terme de la période de financement de 10 ans.

“…Developing an academic foundation to prepare graduate students for research in applied health and nursing services research has been a primary objective of the RTCs from the outset of the CHSRF CADRE program (see Conrad 2008 for a discussion of this program.) In short, the RTCs have been tremendously successful in meeting this objective.…”

Section: On the Academic Preparation Of Graduate Students In Applied mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An opportunity increasingly linked to RTCs, and supporting the overarching theme of developing individuals who can be considered well qualified in the field of applied health and nursing services research, is the Executive Training for Research Application, or EXTRA program (see Conrad 2008 for a discussion of this program). The RTCs' willingness to take on the EXTRA program, both through involvement in the planning and development stages as well as through its direct activities in recruitment of Fellows and mentors, demonstrates a level of commitment essential to future sustainability.…”

Section: On the Importance Of The Extra Program And Similar Federal Imentioning

confidence: 99%

The Future of the Regional Training Centres: Planning for Sustainability

Montelpare¹,

Biden²,

Lee³

et al. 2008

The main objective of the Regional Training Centres (RTCs) is to produce well qualified personnel within the fields of health services and nursing research. Through their collaborative efforts, each of the RTCs has created opportunities for conceptual and methodological competency, knowledge synthesis and knowledge translation and exchange for graduate students, as well as for community-based decision-makers across a variety of areas in applied health and nursing services research. Now, the RTCs face the challenge of envisioning their future. The task is not merely to describe what is, nor what will be, but rather to envision what could be. The purpose of this paper is to describe a plan for sustainability, not only financially but also with respect to management of human resources, student development and collaboration among the partners who make up the collective that is a Regional Training Centre. RésuméLe principal objectif des Centres régionaux de formation (CRF) était de produire du personnel qualifié dans le domaine de la recherche en services de santé et de soins infirmiers. Grâce à leurs efforts de collaboration, chaque CRF a créé des occasions d' application des compétences conceptuelles et méthodologiques, de synthèse des connaissances, et d' application et d' échange des connaissances pour les étudiants des cycles supérieurs, ainsi que d' établissement de partenariats communautaires avec des décideurs provenant d'une multitude de domaines de la recherche appliquée en services de santé et de soins infirmiers. Les CRF doivent maintenant envisager leur avenir. Il ne s' agit pas simplement de décrire ce qui est, ou ce qui sera, mais plutôt d' envisager ce qui pourrait être. Comme dans tous les exercices de visualisation, cet article vise à décrire un plan de durabilité, non seulement sur le plan financier, mais également en ce qui concerne la gestion des ressources humaines, le perfectionnement