Trauma Health Care Curriculum

¶ … health care problem is the first and most critical step in curriculum development, only after which it is possible to outline core elements of the curriculum and how to address the identified problems (Bass, n.d.). In this case, medical trauma management is the critical area of concern. Planning will be the focus, following a general needs assessment, but coordination of all curricular elements will also be important for effective and cost-effective delivery. Resources required for the curriculum include personnel, time, and facilities.

In this case, four or five Physician Assistants and an equal number of Nurse Practitioners will need to coordinate their contributions in accordance with the timeline and budget goals of the curriculum. Facilities will initially include simulated Emergency Departments, to prevent problems between training and actual interventions, yet will also include hands-on delivery in actual Emergency Departments to promote the goals of the curriculum.

Long-range goals include improving trauma service delivery for patients and improving patient outcomes, improving performance, workplace safety, and satisfaction among health care professionals, implementing a trauma program based on evidence, and becoming a leader in human resources development. Degree of support for the curriculum is generally high among stakeholders. However, there will be some resistance to the program from both participants and medical care staff affected by the perceived intrusion on time, resources, and facilities.

To increase support and decrease resistance, it will be important to talk openly with medical care teams and particularly teams in the Emergency Departments. As Swanson & Holton (2009) suggest, meeting with clients and stakeholders regularly will promote positive attitudes and empower all stakeholders to voice concerns. A well-developed curriculum will inspire trust and confidence, while a flexible and positive attitude will facilitate implementation. When the long-range goals are iterated, stakeholders feel more empowered to offer suggestions and ideas for improvement.

Administrative structure, communication, operations, and scholarship are all necessary for implementing and maintaining the curriculum. Institutional support is critical especially when working within the Emergency Departments and using medical care staff. Referring to similar programs in other institutions that have garnered support and success might help to minimize the problems associated with implementing the curriculum in this institution. Decisions are best made collaboratively, with ongoing and regular communication. Digital communications will facilitate the implementation of the curriculum.

The reliance on traditional instructional systems design methods and offering an overview of ADDIE (analysis, design, develop, implement, and evaluate) in particular will help promote the goals of the curriculum. Barriers include competition with other curriculum developers, resistance on the part of multiple stakeholders, lack of institutional support, lack of participant support, and time constraints.

Competition is unlikely to be a major concern in this situation, as this curriculum is developed with the specific needs of the institution in mind, is therefore proprietary and less likely to be draw the attention of existing curriculum development parties. However, resistance will be a major factor impeding the curriculum implementation.

The health care workers whose environment may be impacted adversely by the presence of the trainees would be a key concern alleviated by the establishment of surrogate work spaces and temporary areas where trauma management practices can be taught in a least disruptive yet effective fashion. When it comes to institutional support, the curriculum directors need to regularly meet with administrators and health care leaders to discuss short-term and long-term goals and their concerns.

Participant support can be a problem when health care workers are not obliged by their human resources departments to take part in the program; this may be alleviated by active engagement with human resources leaders. Finally, time and other resource constraints may impede the initial stages of implementation. Ensuring that the curriculum is implemented during periods of minimal patient intakes and maximum staff presence will help minimize problems. Introducing the curriculum will begin with meetings with primary stakeholders.

A succinct presentation will help to outline the overall objectives and identify the most critical segments of the curriculum such as specific trauma management training. These specific elements will be priorities for developing pilot programs. The curriculum can easily be phased in, allowing the Pas and NPs to focus first on theory and academic work, then on proxy training, and.