Investigation On The Status Quo Of The Implementation Of The Mentorship In Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Program

BackgroundIn 2001,with the support of WHO,UNICEF and other international organizations,the Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Program(CFETP)was established by the Ministry of Health(now the National Health Commission)and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine(now the Center for Disease Control and Prevention).By February 2019,CFETP had recruited 376 trainees and graduated 313.It has trained a number of key forces for public health institutions at national,provincial and local levels.In recent years,CFETP has expanded enrollment because of the increasing demand for high-quality field epidemiologic professionals.At the same time,(in order to ensure that trainees can get high-quality training and meet the training needs of different professional trainees,and since the 14th session of the trainees in 2015)CFETP has changed the mentorship from the mentorship originally trained by program mentors and filed mentors to the"primary mentorship" under the joint guidance of primary mentors,filed mentors and program mentors.Since the implementation of the"primary mentorship,the 14th,15th and 16th sessions of trainees have been trained and graduated.ObjectiveIn order to understand the current situation of the implementation of the primary mentorship and the influencing factors of the quality and quantity of trainees'output,this paper investigated and analysed the current situation of the three sessions of trainees,primary mentors,filed mentors and program mentors since the implementation of the primary mentorship,in order to provide basis and suggestions for further improving the mentorship system.MethodQuestionnaire and interview have been used simultaneously.Questionnaires were used to investigate the trainees,primary mentors and filed mentors in the 14th,15th and 16th issues.Using EXCEL 2010 and SPSS 20.0,the data were analyzed by single factor and multi-factor analysis.The main factors affecting the quality and quantity of trainees' output were analyzed.Through case interviews with program mentors,we can understand the teaching situation and work content of program mentors,as well as their views and suggestions on strengthening trainee guidance and program management.Results1.A total of 87 questionnaires were sent out.83 questionnaires were recovered,with a recovery rate of 95.4%.Among the trainees surveyed,the degree of education was mainly master degree(68.7%).Most of the titles were intermediate(48.2%).The highest proportion of the professions engaged in before the training was infectious disease prevention and control(46.9%)and chronic disease prevention and control(9.6%).The proportion of trainees whose output quality is higher than average in each period is 16(69.9%)in the 14th period,15(53.6%)in the 15th period while 6(18.8%)in the 16th period.The proportion of trainees whose output is higher than the average in each period is 9(39.1%)in the 14th period,14(50%)in the 15th period and 11(34.4%)in the 16th period.Among the output activities of the trainees,the primary mentors are the most helpful ones to the trainees in conducting thematic surveys,monitoring data analysis,reviewing and publishing papers;the field mentors are the most helpful ones to the trainees in conducting field outbreak investigations;and the program mentors are the most helpful ones to the trainees in writing Chinese and English abstracts,attending academic conferences,graduation defense and other activities.Among the three types of mentors,the trainees think that the primary mentors'feedbacks to the trainees are the timeliest ones(54.2%).Trainees' satisfaction with their supervisors:92.8%of them are basically satisfied with the two-year guidance of primary mentors and 89.1%of them are satisfied with their practical opportunities from field mentors.2.Primary mentors:primary mentors sent out 43 questionnaires,27 questionnaires were recovered,the recovery rate was 62.8%.Among the investigated primary mentors,doctoral degree and above were the main educational level(59.3%)and their professional titles were all Vice-Senior and above.The degree of satisfaction with teaching was assessed by the primary mentors on a scale of 1-5,with an average of 4.44 for trainees'attendance,4.41 for traineesl enthusiasm,and the average help to professional title promotion from teaching work is 2.63.The mean value of providing high quality technical guidance to trainees is 4.15,and the mean value of full course guidance for trainees with enough time is 3.78.3.Filed mentors:According to the filed mentors of 15 filed practice bases,2-5 filed mentors were investigated in each base.49 questionnaires were collected.Among the filed mentors surveyed,38(77.6%)had master's degree or above.The highest level of participation of field mentors in trainees'output activities is to provide opportunities for violence detection(81.6%)and to guide thematic surveys(81.6%).The field mentors have the highest satisfaction rate(91.8%)with the trainees'attitude towards work and study,but the satisfaction rate of the trainees*professional theoretical knowledge is low(49%).4.Through multivariate logistic regression analysis,the factors affecting the quality of trainees'output are:sessions of CFETP,pre-training title,daily work during the second year of internship,and the help of program mentors in writing English s for trainees.5.The factors affecting the quantity of trainees'output are whether the personal interest is the main reason for participating in the CFETP training and the contribution of the program mentors to the field outbreak investigation.6.Through the analysis of the subjective questions of the questionnaire and the interviews with the three program mentors,some suggestions for the primary mentorship were provided.For example,we should establish an effective mechanism for multi-party communication,strengthen the training,assessment and reward of mentors,and further improve the comprehensive ability of trainees.ConclusionSince 2015,CFETP has implemented the CFETP mentorship.As of February 2019,CFETP has trained three sessions of trainees,and 85 trainees have graduated smoothly.Through the investigation,it is found that the primary mentors,filed mentors and program mentors have worked together to provide trainees with good training conditions by giving full play to their respective advantages in profession and resources.At the same time,what can be learned are the implementation of the responsibilities of the three types of mentors in the training process,and the shortcomings of the training status quo.Based on the survey results of the trainees and three types of mentors,some suggestions are put forward for the improvement of the mentorship,mainly in the following four aspects:strengthening the communication between the trainees and the mentors and various mentors;improving the enthusiasm of the mentors;further clarifying the powers and responsibilities of all kinds of mentors,and strengthening the supervision and management of mentors;and strengthening the construction of the mentor team.