Train the Trainer Course: How Can the Skills of a Facilitator Benefit Academic Staff in Nursing and Other Health Education Programs?

Abstract

Over several years, simulation has become an established teaching method in study programs of nursing and other health disciplines. Simulation exercises have a theoretical foundation in a number of perspectives on how adults acquire knowledge, through experience-based learning, reflection-on-action and reflection-in-action, and an emphasis on the sociocultural context. As part of the learning process of simulation, the opportunity for feedback and feed forward is crucial in the learning process. The individual facilitator is particularly important in this understanding of learning. The role of the facilitator is aimed at guiding the student toward learning with the help of didactic and pedagogical methods. Learning in itself is a process that could be defined as a transformation that is not based on biological maturation. In this chapter, we look closer at the nature of train the trainer courses, what separates a facilitator from a lecturer, the significance of a common language and framework, as well as how the side effects and synergies of the facilitator’s skills might benefit academic staff in nursing and other health education programs.