The new role of health trainer is a significant development for the public health workforce. Health trainers can offer something quite distinctive and separate from professional advice, and there is potential to help individuals to access support and services in local communities. More research is needed on the relative value of different models of health trainer.
Much is known about the value of peer mentoring in undergraduate programmes however, little has been published about this in the context of transition into postgraduate education, particularly in low-middle income countries. This paper reports on an evaluation of peer mentoring on an MSc Public Health Promotion programme delivered in Ghana. Qualitative methods were used to elicit the experiences of thirty-five students using methods including focus group discussions that involved guided reflection. Data were analysed using a framework adapted from Kram's (1983) Model of Mentoring. Several key themes were identified: practical benefit; social benefit and emotional benefit; future benefit; and facilitating factors and challenges. The peer-mentoring scheme evaluated well benefitting both mentees and mentors. More importantly for Ghana, the relationships that developed between the mentees and mentors bode well for building a community of experts in health promotion that is key to tackling Ghana's health and development agenda.
This evaluation demonstrates that training around clinician change can be effective in shifting service delivery when sat within a cultural framework that genuinely situates patients at the centre of consultations and practice activity.
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