Understand the performance need

Conducting a performance needs assessment is an important step in enabling supervisors to fully understand the nature of the performance needs at their facilities. Supervisors should ask themselves: "What is the desired performance? Is there a gap between what the staff is actually doing and what they should be doing? Do I understand the root causes of this gap? Is training the right solution to improve job performance?" Although training is a popular intervention for improving job performance, other interventions might be more appropriate. Before you embark on a training intervention, be sure that training is the right solution for the problem.

Participate in any additional assessments required for training

An additional needs assessment may be conducted by trainers to ensure that the goals and objectives of a learning intervention will meet the identified performance needs of the learners. In order to design and develop the most effective intervention, trainers often require additional information that would not be gathered during a performance needs assessment (e.g., specific learner characteristics such as the reading level of learners or current skill level of each learner on a specific task).

As a supervisor, you have unique knowledge of staff members' on-the-job performance and can describe the specific gaps in knowledge and skills that a training intervention needs to address.

• Communicate with trainers about the results of the performance needs assessment and the problems that can be addressed by training.
• Discuss specific measures of success for the learning intervention. How will the success of the transfer of learning process be evaluated?
• Involve learners and their co-workers in the process. Explain to them the importance of cooperating with the trainer during assessment activities such as being observed and answering questionnaires.
• Provide trainers access to your site and to your staff.

By actively participating in additional assessments, you will help guarantee that the resulting training will have the desired effects.

Influence selection of learners

Selecting the appropriate staff members for training is an important part of ensuring the effectiveness of a training intervention. Participate in staff selection as much as possible and involve staff by discussing who should attend and why. As you think about whom to send for training, consider the following:

• Who will benefit most from the training?
• Which individuals are most motivated to learn?
• Which individuals have the prerequisite skills required for the course?
• Who is in the best position to share the training information with others?
• Who will be implementing the newly acquired knowledge and skills?
• Which management and support staff will also be involved in the implementation of newly acquired knowledge and skills? Include these staff in the selection process if you feel that support will be needed in order to introduce new services.
• Which two or more individuals would make a good team to introduce a new service? Sending staff from different cadres may be helpful. For example, sending a physician and a nurse to a minilaparotomy training will provide the site with a team that can work effectively together.

Communicate with trainers about the learning intervention

Supervisors who are aware of the content of the training can model desired behaviors, better explain post-training expectations to staff and reinforce desired behaviors after training. Awareness of the content of training can come from reviewing the course materials, receiving an orientation from the trainer and observing or participating in parts of the learning intervention. Such interaction between supervisors and trainers allows learners to see that their supervisors are committed to the learning intervention and interested in the entire process. Communicating with the trainers also provides an opportunity for supervisors to make sure that the trainers understand the performance need. Working with the trainers, you can determine what will maximize the event for the learners.

Help learners create a preliminary action plan

Communicate positive messages to learners about the importance of training. Identify and share with them specific expectations about performance. Before the training activity, ask the learners what they hope to get out of the training. Then explain precisely what you anticipate they will be able to do for your facility with their new knowledge and skills.

Supervisors can help learners understand how their new knowledge and skills contribute to the goal of improving health care by working with the learners to develop action plans. Supervisors and learners can begin preliminary work on an action plan at their job sites prior to the training event. Discussing the action plan gives both supervisors and learners a chance to clarify expectations related to the training. Generally, learners will further refine their action plans with the help of a trainer. Supervisors can then complete the action plans with the learners after the training event. See examples of a blank and completed action plan.

Support and encourage learners

Once supervisors decide who will attend the training, it is important to provide those learners with the support they need.

• Assist learners with arrangements for the course. Make sure all arrangements are made in a timely manner. Support learners in this process by assigning staff to assist them. If they rely on financial support from your facility for travel, lodging or course fees and materials, provide funding promptly. If training occurs regularly, create systems to arrange travel, reimburse expenses and document the training courses learners have completed.
• Reassign each learner's workload during the training. Make sure your site functions smoothly during a learner's absence by delegating his or her workload to co-workers. Take care, however, not to make co-workers resentful by overwhelming them with additional tasks. Make plans to lighten the learner's workload for a period after training to ensure that he or she will have the time and energy to share new knowledge and skills with others and to implement changes.
• Reassure learners of your support. Assure learners that you will give them time to become proficient in their new skills. Encourage learners to include post-training debriefings with co-workers on their action plans so they can share what they learn. Offer to help by organizing staff meetings and assisting with the distribution of training information and job aids. Encourage co-workers to be supportive of learners.

(Note: Unless learners have been trained to train others, they should not be expected to train their co-workers in the skills they will learn, especially complex clinical procedures.)