Evaluation of life long vocational training centers in health sector (Greece)

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the quality of the training organizations and the effectiveness of life long vocational training programmes in health sector. MATERIAL-Method: 157 executive managers, who hold the place of director, participated in the research, as well as the executive personnel of the hospitals of the Greek National Health System (ESY), and the executive personnel in the health centres and in the health district authorities (DYPE). In order to complete the study, 21 evaluation criteria were used which were grouped in 7 clusters. The collection of data was done with the use of expert panels and interviews with superior executives of the health units and the personnel in charge of training centres (KEK). Results: The value of medium of the criteria of evaluation in a scale of 1–5 was 3.6 with a median of 3.7 and a standard deviation of 0.35. The higher grades (4.1) were awarded to the choice of the places that the programmes take place, to the professors’ expertise and to the co-ordination of concretisation of life long vocational training programmes, while on the contrary low grades were awarded to the choice of the instructors and to the evaluation of processes of training (3.1 and 3.05 respectively). Conclusions: The analysis of the results shows that the bigger problems arise in the following: (a) in the planning and in the concretisation of training programs, (b) in human and financial resources, and (c) in certain questions of available equipment. Also, it was realised that there is a considerable need for the adoption of training programs in the working place. This is due to a large extent to the particular nature of the medical and nursing, clinical-laboratorial and administrativeadministrative action in the realm of the health services, and to the high specialisation that is needed for the use of relevant material.