Enhancing health professional education capacity in the Western Pacific region

Abstract

In the past 5 years there has been a rapid rise in numbers of foreign-trained medical graduates returning to their countries to work as interns across the Western Pacific. These graduates were found to have a varied and different level of clinical knowledge and skill from that previously experienced in the region. This change in workforce profile led to an urgent need for upskilling clinicians as educators and supervisors. A team of clinical education facilitators were invited to design and deliver context-specific professional education workshops to address this need. These workshops were designed to equip clinical staff with education and supervision skills to optimise teaching and learning opportunities in clinical settings for these new graduates of foreign medical programs. Embracing a collaborative approach and addressing learning needs in local contexts has enabled the team to enhance medical education capacity in the Western Pacific region. This article presents the context of the need for and development of clinical education workshops for intern supervisors in the Western Pacific.