FPD: HIV Management for Lay Counsellors

The Foundation for Professional Development (FPD), in partnership with HIV 911, is conducting a three –day course on HIV Management for Lay Counsellors from 9-11 September 2009 in Durban.

The training programme is an integrated educational program that combines comprehensive, evaluated, self-study with a three-day facilitated workshop. Leading expects in this field facilitate the workshop.  Successful completion requires a total study commitment by participants of between 60 and 80 hours.

The course aims to provide lay counsellors with appropriate knowledge and skills to:

• Improve their knowledge about patients affected by HIV 
• Understand many aspects of the disease more fully
• Understand the principals of treatment using drugs to fight HIV
• Understand the importance of adherence to the drugs
• Learn the new counselling skills associated with antiretroviral therapy
• Be able to communicate new knowledge confidently and effectively

Format

FPD's experience over the past 10 years has shown that in order to ensure maximum assimilation of knowledge and skills as part of adult learning the programme will need to combine self-study, three-day workshop and assessment.

These components have been designed to ensure:

• Acquisition of knowledge
• Application of such knowledge in a simulated learning opportunity
• The development of a frame of reference on the subject
• Assimilation of skills

Self-study

Leading national experts have developed a comprehensive easy-to-use self-study manual which will be updated and adapted according to each specific country’s guidelines and specific needs.

The study material eliminates the need for supportive textbooks and will include material on:

• Epidemiology and prevention of HIV infection
• Pathogenesis of HIV infection
• The diagnosis of HIV infection
• The tests used to monitor HIV disease
• Clinical features of HIV and AIDS
• Understanding opportunistic infections and their treatment
• Antiretroviral management of HIV infection
• Drug combinations
• Changing treatment
• The dimensions of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
• The use of antiretroviral therapy to prevent HIV infection
• Palliative care
• Nutrition
• HIV in children
• Adherence to antiretroviral therapy
• Side effects
• Understanding VCT, pre and post test counselling
• Prevention of mother-to-child transmission
• Other issues

Workshop

The face-to-face tuition, facilitated by leading national experts takes place over a three-day period in the format of outcome-based workshops focusing on the practical integration of the knowledge.

One expert facilitator will facilitate all days of the workshop. Workshops will avoid didactic approach and use case studies of real cases, role playing and interactive methodology. Case studies will serve as a vehicle for the initial application of newly gained knowledge in a practice environment. Such case studies will be documented using guidelines supplied by the FPD.

Assessment

Participants will be required to complete a multiple-choice self-assessment questionnaire in order to ensure compliance of the self-study requirements of the course. These will be submitted to the Foundation for Professional Development for assessment within three months of completion of the workshop. A 70% pass mark has to be obtained to successfully complete the assessment.

Certification

A certificate of completion of this short course will be awarded to successful candidates by the Foundation for Professional Development. To qualify, participants have to fully attend the workshop and successfully complete the self -study component of this programme.

If you are interested in attending this course, please contact the HIVAN/HIV-911 Forum Coordinator:

Stewart Kilburn
Tel: 031 260 3331
Fax: 031 260 2013
Email: stewartk@hivan.org.za