NCHPE

Introduction:

Prof. Dr. Nirju Ranjit

National Centre for Health Professions Education (NCHPE) is a national level organization under Tribhuvan University (T.U), Institute of Medicine (IOM) committed to improve the health of the country ensuring quality health professions education by educating teachers in Nepal. Although it was officially upgraded to this form in 2009 (2066 BS), it has it’s long history of continued and consistent efforts to support its activities.

An “Education Support Unit” was established in IOM in 1986 to impart teacher’s training to its faculty members in innovations in medical education. It was later renamed as Education Support Center and it was realized that it should form an integral and permanent part of the IOM with functional autonomy. It was proposed that the center should mainly work in areas of:

• Curriculum, design, implementation, evaluation and revision.
• Enhancing teacher’s competency and performance.
• Conducting Continue Medical Education (CME) for all health personnel.
• Conducting educational research.
• Providing consultancy related to quality education and service.

With subsequent development, the Education Support Center was developed into the Medical Education Department (MED) in 1990 and it was moved to the MoHeGo Building.

In order to address growing concern for quality in terms of the relevance of health professions education to the health care needs of people of Nepal, a need was felt to develop a “National Centre for Health Professions Education (NCHPE)” in this country. The National consultative meeting held with the support of WHO in 2009 approved for upgrading the existing MED into “National Center for Health Professions Education (NCHPE)”.

Administrative Staff:

1. Kewal Kumar Pathak Account Officer
2. Devi Shrestha (Dangol) Head Office Assistant
3. Durga Prasad Timalsina Office Assistant
4. Pradip Kumar Shrestha Office Attendant
5. Gyani Chori Maharjan Office Attendant (Contract)
6. Gopal Shrestha Driver (Contract)

The centre is equipped with seminar hall, library room, staff rooms, computer rooms and administrative rooms on the first floor of MoHeGo Building. It has been carrying out regular “Faculty Development Training (FDT) Workshops, Curriculum development and revision and Continuing education for the health professions teachers from both IOM and other health manpower development institutions of Nepal. The center is also coordinating the activities of ‘Skills Lab’ in Maharajgunj Medical Campus (MMC). Since 2011, the Health Learning Material Center has been merged into NCHPE. Further, it has been promoting international cooperation in medical education through coordinating and systematizing the Elective programme for Foreign Medical Students at the IOM.

Functional Units:

Unit 1. Faculty Development Training
Unit 2. Curriculum Development Evaluation
Unit 3. Communication Skills
Unit 4. Clinical Skills Lab
Unit 5. Foreign Elective Program
Unit 6. Health Learning Materials
Unit 7. Medical Ethics
Unit 8. Global Health

Activities:

1. Faculty Development Training on Helping Students Learn Better: This Centre feels proud in conducting maximum number of “Faculty Development Training on Helping Students Learn Better” for IOM faculties and its affiliated colleges. Total 1320 faculties have been trained from National Center for Health Professions Education, IOM till 21^st to 26^th February, 2021 (74^th Batch).
2. Training of Trainers on Communication Skills: NCHPE organizes “Training of Trainers on Communication Skills” for IOM faculties and it’s affiliated colleges. Till now it had conducted such kind of training for total 20 faculties.
3. Master Training of Trainers in FDT: Total 19 faculties were trained in 13-18 March, 2016.
4. Simulated Based Education: Total 37 faculties were trained in 19 April, 2018 & 4^th Sept, 2019.
5. Problem Based Learning: Total 23 faculties were trained in 8-9 May, 2019.
6. Regular function of Curriculum Development, Evaluation Committee on development and revision of various curriculum (Executive Director of NCHPE is member Secretary)
7. Basic Laparoscope Skills Course Level: 09^th-10^th March, 2018
8. Basic Surgical Skills
9. Skills Lab activities:

A skill lab in IOM was established in 2008, inaugurated formally by Dr. Lin Aung, WHO Representative in 2011 and is functioning under the management of NCHPE. It has performed following activities during the last academy year:

• • • Clinical skills training to MBBS 3^rd year students with active participation of Department of Anesthesiology, Internal Medicine, Surgery Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Dept. of General Practice and Emergency Medicine.
    • CPR Training to all the first year residents of MD/MS Programs of Maharajgunj Medical Campus with the active support from department of Anesthesiology.
    • CPR training to nursing staff of TUTH.
    • CPR training to MN students.
    • Observation and orientation on skills lab to participants of faculty development training program from various medical college throughout the country.
    • CPR training to newly appointed Medical Officers of MOHP.

10. Conduction of sessions of “Support Curriculum” in DM in Cardiology, Neurology, Nephrology, Gastroenterology, MCH in Neurosurgery, Urology, Cardiothoracic & Vascular, Surgical Gastroenterology and curriculum of various MDS ( Masters in Dental surgery) programs.
11. Newly Revision and ongoing process of curriculum of different program: Ch Peadiatric Surgery. MCH in Pediatric Otolaryngology, Fellowship in Endocrinology, DM Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Anesthesiology, MD Clinical Physiology, MD Dermatology, Venereology and Laprology, MDGP, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology, MD Pediatrics, MD Radiology, MD Microbiology MD Pathology DM Critical Medicine, DM Emergency Medicine, DM Endocrinology and Metabolism, DM Gastroenterology, DM Pulmonology and Critical Care, M.Sc. MLT Microbiology. MN Adult Nursing, MN Child Health Nursing, MN Women Health Nursing, Bachelor in Perfusion Technology, Bachelor in Pharmacy (B.Pharm), Bachelor of Ayurveda Medicine and surgery, MN Community Health Nursing, MN Psychiatry Nursing, M.Sc. MIT, BNS, B. Pharma, BMLT, B.Sc. MIT, BASLP, Fellowship in Pulmonology and critical care, MD Psychology. MPhil Clinical Psychology, B. Optometry in MBBS* BDS*, ENT-Head & Neck Surgery*, BPH*, BSc Nursing *, MPH* MHP&E*, MHPN*(*sign means process of revision),

12. Till now, total 6 (two national and four international) “Global Health Courses” (1-3 week) were conducted. Total 16 faculties were sent for training in Global Health in Philippines, Finland, Tanzania and Nepal. Total 141 students were trained in Global Health including national and International participants.
13. Other than the above activities, NCHPE facilitates various CME programs and provide consultancy to the educational and health institutes on various education related matters. After acquiring the status of NCHPE, its efforts to collaborate with other institutes within and outside the country including WHO for further development of health professions education in Nepal.
14. Foreign Elective Program: NCHPE has been successfully coordinating the Clinical/Community Elective Programme for Foreign Health Professions Students for the departments of TUTH and MMC of IOM. It has Signed an MoU with the “Work the World” for attracting more elective students from all over the world. Detailed information can be obtained from nchped.org.np. There were altogether 153 elective student enrolled in 2015, 127 elective student enrolled in 2016, 188 elective student enrolled in 2017, 267 elective student enrolled in 2018, 297 elective student enrolled in 2019 and 5 elective student enrolled in 2020 in different department/specialty.