Family planning training: a network program and sample instructional materials.

Because of the absence of educational programs for family planning service providers, there is an ongoing need for staff training. In Connecticut, this training is provided statewide by a training network that develops and teaches courses to meet the training needs identified by family planning clinics and related health and social service agencies. This training is offered at the times and locations most convenient to the staff to be trained. A library of courses is being developed for use in the training network -- currently included are Basic Family Planning, Reproductive Health Care, Counseling Skills, Human Sexuality, Pregnancy Counselling, Common Medical Problems in Family Planning, Training Parents as Sex Educators, Family Planning for the Mentally Retarded, Values Clarification, Natural Family Planning, and Medical Interviewing. Each course is based on behavioral objectives, includes pretest and posttest, and is followed up after a 3-month interval by a supervisor's assessment of changes in trainees' job performance. Results show good transfer of skills and knowledge to the work situation. Posttest results in the Basic Family Planning course showed an overall gain of 35 percentage points, reflecting a high level of competency.