Structured On-the-Job Training: Innovations in International Health Training

JHPIEGO Corporation, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, is working with medical professionals in reproductive health in Zimbabwe to implement a structured on-the-job training (OJT) program. The goal of this program is to improve the performance of family planning service providers in clinical sites throughout the country. Working with the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council, the organization that was charged with helping to implement the system, JHPIEGO staff converted an existing group-based clinical training course to a structured OJT course and helped build support for this new training approach. The design and consensus-building activities resulted in the implementation of an effective, structured on-the-job training program. The model for implementing this innovative training approach identifies key steps from conception through pilot testing to full-scale implementation-steps relevant to a variety of training situations.