Background: Staff development is essential in sustaining organizational efficiency. In 2016, the University of the Philippines Manila started conducting the “Awakening Seminars” among administrative personnel to foster smooth interpersonal relationships and operational efficiency. Objectives: This study was commissioned to determine the value of the seminars. It evaluated the trainees' perceived reactions, learning, and overall change in behaviors towards their work at the university. Methodology: Out of 321 personnel who completed the seminars, 96 were calculated as sample size. Participants accomplished a survey questionnaire and 67 valid responses were collected. Data were analyzed using means and standard deviations according to Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Model from Level 1: Reactions, Level 2: Learning, to Level 3: Behavior. Different ratings were compared with selected variables using analysis of variance. Results: Seven seminars were conducted from March 2016 to January 2017. Mean ratings showed that the seminars were well organized, relevant, and helped them appreciate their work, colleagues, and their workplace environment. Participants have high morale and felt privileged being in UP. Analysis of variance tests showed that evaluation ratings did not differ significantly with monthly take-home pay, tenure, performance, and job category. While these ratings are not directly translated as operational efficiency, results suggest participants' commitment to the university's goals. Conclusion UP Manila personnel appreciated the “Awakening” staff development program and can be replicated to all support personnel of the colleges.
Workplace ; Staff Development

Objective: To assess the competency levels of the technical staff of the Center for Health Development Calabarzon (CHD 4A) to inform the development of a human resource management plan. Methods: A cross-sectional assessment design to determine the CHD 4A technical staff's competency level was utilized. The team from the College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila invited all the CHD 4A technical staff to complete a self-assessment using the Learning and Development Needs Assessment Tool (LDNA) (version 3-45), rating their perceived competency and the level of importance to their functions on core and functional competencies stipulated in the Department of Health Compendium of Competency Standards. Gaps were identified by comparing perceived competency levels with a predetermined standard for each agency's salary grade or position. Results: All 67 technical staff took part in the assessment. Entry- and senior-level professionals had minimal deviations from predetermined standards, with gaps in quality service focus and teamwork for the former and planning and political savvy for the latter. In contrast, mid-career professionals had larger gaps in magnitude and number than entry and senior-level staff – the largest being on results orientation – reflective of newly-promoted staff's adjustment period. Of note, these gaps were based on the prevailing competency standards in force at the time of assessment in 2015. Findings may need to be revisited when the agency updates the core and functional competency standards. Conclusion The participants perceived core and functional competencies as important, with the level of perceived importance increasing as the salary bracket increases. Core competency gaps were widest in integrity and quality service focus. Simultaneously, results orientation, and planning and organizing were the functional competencies that registered the widest gap and prioritized. Training needs assessments should be conducted in times of change to ensure an organization's training programs' relevance and to develop peak-level employee performance.
Staff Development ; Needs Assessment

Background: The College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila (CPH-UPM) was engaged by the Center for Health Development Calabarzon (CHD 4A) to design, implement and manage the retooling of their personnel following implementation of Executive Order No. 336 on the rationalization of the Philippine government’s executive branch. Objective: To describe the training design and present outputs of the training modules designed for the CHD 4A staff. Methods: We reviewed the project documentation, which included the inception report, minutes of meetings, training modules, and post-training reports. Abstracted information was validated through internal discussion by a core group, which had representatives from the two organizations involved from project inception to close-out. Results: The design, development and implementation of the training were the product of collaborative efforts between CHD 4A and the technical team from the College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila. Technical staff of CHD 4A were trained in the competency areas in which gaps between the expected and perceived level of performance across all salary grades were highest: results orientation, planning and organizing, technical expertise, quality service focus, coordination and networking, and managing change. Nine training courses were implemented from May to July 2016, which was attended by 230 participants. All training modules were highly rated by participants (range: 3.60 to 3.85) based on a four-point scale, with 4 as the highest rating and 1 as the lowest. Comparison of pre- and post-tests for the modules on coordination and networking, and managing change showed a statistically significant increase in scores at the conclusion of their respective sessions. Conclusion The design of a training program for an organization’s personnel must be tailor-fit to and answer the needs of its employees. Trainers must be willing to make dynamic changes and adapt to immediate feedback from participants. The implementing party and organization itself must both ensure thorough evaluation of the effects of the training to achieve the organization’s long-term goals.
Staff Development ; Teaching ; Education ; Workforce

The study of public health systems is an important, but very difficult task. The concept and functions of public health systems are influenced by the views, interests, and influence of the various stakeholders belonging to public health systems and broader social, economic, political, and environmental sectors. To define public health system with conceptual clarification, we must take into account the dynamic and complex aspect of the public health system. This paper reviews health systems and public health systems literature to suggest the concept, goals, and functions of public health systems. In addition, this paper recognizes some challenges, such as leadership and management, resource development, economic support, and service delivery to strengthen public health systems for improving health and well-being of population.
Economic Development ; Leadership ; Public Health* ; Staff Development

The aim of this article is to identify roadblocks prohibiting effective education of medical students in the basic sciences and then propose strategies for designing and implementing a better curriculum in the basic sciences that remove the roadblocks thereby increasing the relevance to students' clinical experiences in medical training. Traditionally, the medical student experiences basic science education in a setting where there is little or no communication between the basic science and clinical science professors, where basic science content is given with very little clinical context, while clinical training does not enhance understanding of the scientific foundation for clinical practice. Herein, we re-address the purpose of basic science education proposing the concept of 'transfer' as a bridge to connect the basic and clinical science education. We also propose a continuing education program for staff development in the successful implementation of these proposals.
Curriculum ; Education, Continuing ; Humans ; Schools, Medical ; Staff Development ; Students, Medical

This study was conducted to estimate the safety level of non-cooking and cooking processed foods to propose the sanitary management of foods donated to foodbanks. The time and temperature were measured and the microbial levels of aerobic plate counts (APC), coliforms, E. coli, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, B. cereus, and E. coli O157:H7 were analyzed on ten food items donated to seven foodbanks. The amount of cooked foods donated to each foodbank was about 10 to 40 servings. All foodbanks hired a supervisor and had at least one refrigerator/freezer and one temperature-controlled vehicle, but only four foodbanks had the separate offices to manage the foodbank operation. The flow of donated foods was gone through the steps; production, meal service and holding at donator, collection by foodbank, transport (or holding after transport) and distribution to recipients. After production, the levels of APC of both non-cooking and cooking processed foods were complied with the standards by Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development, and were not increased till distribution. Only the level of coliforms in dried squid & cucumber salad (1.5x10(3) CFU/g) was not met the standards. E. coli and other pathogens were not detected in all tested samples. The microbial levels of delivery vessels and work tables were satisfactory, but the APC levels of two of four tested serving tables (6.9x10(3) and 5.3x10(3) CFU/100cm2) and the coliforms level of one (1.1x10(3) CFU/100cm2) were over the standards. The air-borne microflora level in serving room was estimated as satisfactory. It took about 3.0 to 6.5 hours from after-production to distribution and the temperatures of donated foods were exposed mostly to temperature danger zone, which had a high potential of microbial growth. These results imply that a checklist to monitor time and temperature in each step should be provided and the employees involving foodbank operation should be properly educated to ensure the safety of donated foods.
Checklist ; Cooking ; Decapodiformes ; Education ; Meals ; Salmonella ; Staff Development

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a sexuality education course of study for students in the lower grades of elementary school. METHOD: On the basis of the sexuality education guidebook for elementary school students published by Korea Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development, the state-designated textbooks for first to third grade were analyzed. RESULTS: 1) In the category of physical and psychological development, physical development and psychosexual development content were covered, but not sexual health content. 2) In the category of understanding of human relationship, marriage and family, and the opposite sex and love were presented but self-determination and selection were only partially presented. 3) In the category of sexual culture and sexual ethics, sexual role in society was covered, but not social environment or equality of the sexes. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that content on sexuality which is not covered in textbooks for students in lower grades should be included in other school courses or activities in class.
Education ; Ethics ; Humans ; Korea ; Love ; Marriage ; Psychosexual Development ; Reproductive Health ; Sexuality* ; Social Environment ; Staff Development ; Child Health

PURPOSE: To develop a tool to evaluate middle school sex education programs. METHOD: An evaluation tool was developed in 4 stages: first, preliminary items were developed based on the sex education guidebook for teachers published by the Korean Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development; second, a panel of specialists reduced the number of preliminary items by 3 validity tests on the contents; third, final items were selected from the results of pre-test. Finally, reliability and validity were tested by a sample of 601 middle school students of both genders attending all three grades. RESULTS: The developed evaluation tool contained 31 items on the sexual knowledge and 22 items on the sexual attitude. The results of reliability tests were as follows: Cronbachs alpha for sexual knowledge was .84; and for sexual attitude was .88. CONCLUSION: This study suggested the developed evaluation tool for sex education programs for middle school students had a high degree of reliability and validity.Therefore, it can be utilized to effectively evaluate Korean middle school sex education programs.
Education ; Humans ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sex Education* ; Specialization ; Staff Development ; Child Health

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide basic data to develop safety education programs in elementary school. METHOD: Analysis is made based on textbooks for 1st-6th-grade elementary school students published by Korea Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development. RESULTS: 1) Among the textbooks. only , , , and courses dealt with safety education. 2) The contents of safety education included traffic safety, water safety, indoor and outdoor safety, fire, emergency measures, misuse and abuse of drug, smoking, toy safety, sports safety, leasure safety and disasters. However, the contents were theoretical, fragmentary, local and limited. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the consents of safety education must be strengthened, and more practical and more behavior-oriented in consideration of activities.
Disasters ; Education* ; Emergencies ; Fires ; Humans ; Korea ; Play and Playthings ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Sports ; Staff Development

Debriefing is a conversational session that revolves around the sharing and examining of information after a specific event has taken place. Debriefing may follow a simulated or actual experience and provides a forum for the learners to reflect on the experience and learn from their mistakes. Originating from the military and aviation industry, it is used on a daily basis to reflect and improve the performance in other high-risk industries. Expert debriefers may facilitate the reflection by asking open-ended questions to probe into the framework of the learners and apply lessons learned to future situations. Debriefing has been proven to improve clinical outcomes such as the return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest and the teaching of teamwork and communication in pediatrics. Incorporating debriefing into clinical practice would facilitate the cultural change necessary to talk more openly about team performance and learn from near misses, errors, and successes that will improve not only clinical outcome but also patient safety.
Aviation ; Education ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Military Personnel ; Patient Safety ; Pediatrics* ; Staff Development