The training activities, courses Offered and enrolment Processes
The JCRC Virtual Learning Centre
The JCRC Virtual Learning Centre is an online e-Learning platform targeting different stakeholders/trainees including healthcare providers, policy makers, academia among others at local and international level. Our virtual learning mainly focuses on research, diseases prevention, management and treatment of HIV/AIDS and other tropical infectious diseases. The virtual learning centre caters for different online training such as : short training courses, annual HIV update meeting; Continuous Medical Education, platform for sharing case studies, health policy documents-guidelines and any other relevant training materials as may be decided by JCRC training team and eventually management.
Short courses
JCRC is well-suited to offer virtual training courses through its core business that include Clinic, Laboratory and Research. Some of the courses include:
- HIV drug resistance
- Management of patients on3rd line ART
- Geographical Information Systems
- Large data Management and use
- Research Administration
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
- Grants writing and Managment
Responsible Conduct Research (RCR) online course:
The goal of this training is to equip learners with knowledge to enable them promote RCR through customized issues to Ugandan contexts. The course introduces participants to the origin, rationale and meaning of RCR in the context of Uganda and internationally. The course is now under review
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Each Medical and Dental Practitioner in Uganda is required to engage in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training and accumulate mandatory Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in 12 months in order to qualify for Annual Practicing Licence (APL). The aim of CPD is to continuously improve quality of care provided by the Medical and Dental practitioners to individuals, families and communities they serve through increasing the health workers’ skills, technical/professional knowledge in fields related to health professional practices, such as health care delivery, Leadership, management, ethics and communication and human rights. The provision of CPD is the principal mandate of Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council (UMDPC) but it accredits some institutions to provide CPD. The JCRC is among organizations in Uganda that are accredited by UMDPC to offer CPD nationwide.
The Annual HIV update meetings.
The Annual HIV update meeting is one of the CPD activity. This is an avenue that has been used by JCRC in collaboration with the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) and other partners since 2008 to update health care workers managing HIV clinics on the most recent research findings and new developments in HIV care, prevention and treatment as presented at International HIV conferences. This meeting specifically targets, clinicians- doctors, policy makers, researchers, nurses, counsellors, clinical officers, and other personnel at facilities providing HIV services and research across the country. The meeting draws on expertise of local and international speakers who have experience in managing HIV patients over long period of time and those involved in HIV research. The Update meeting takes on the training and experiences/research results sharing approach. The participants learn from what has worked elsewhere and what has not worked with a focus on HIV prevention, treatment and research. The program includes presentations at conference on retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) updates. For the last four years representatives who are supporting national HIV/AIDS response from the East African region (Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan and Tanzania) are invited to make country specific presentations and discussions. All attendees including the JCRC staff register online and upon completion they receive their Continuous Professional Development (CPD) credits for the sessions attended which contributes to renewal of their annual practicing license. At the meeting, there are selected cases presented by healthcare workers from various parts of the country. The meeting that usually runs for three (3) days physical or mix of physical and virtual.
Continuous Medical Education (CMEs)
The JCRC training committee and Managment prioritizes, schedules and conducts weekly Continuous Medical Education (CMEs) that are physical or virtual. These CMEs are not entirely medical, but they consist of educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, increase the knowledge, relationship with customers, skills and general professional performance of JCRC staff. The CMEs are selected based on feedback from customer satisfaction, JCRC employee plan, continuing professional development, changes in medicine/treatment/technology/approaches, Continuous Quality improvement projects, new technologies professional bodies directives, Update on treatment guidelines; decision by JCRC Management among others.
Internship and trainee placement Opportunities
The JCRC offers a range of exciting and highly regarded placement and internship opportunities for local and international trainees. Placement trainees are attached to JCRC for an agreed period of time to gain experience in a wide range of fields, practicing alongside experienced clinicians, researchers and other specialised professionals at JCRC. The JCRC is the oldest and most prestigious HIV/AIDS treatment clinic and other tropical diseases research centre in the region. Trainees receive novel research experience and hands-on skills in biomedical and social sciences, ethical regulatory processes, good clinical practices, data processing and statistical analysis techniques, research proposal writing, laboratory bench experiences, field community engagement opportunities, health systems and services research. In addition, trainees establish and develop more contacts and expand networks with professionals in their field of study and further boost their career opportunities.
The field virtual Schools
For the past 27 years, local and international trainees have received internship physical attachment at JCRC in various fields. However, due to COVID 19 pandemic since the year 2020, most students especially international students are not able to come to Uganda hence the virtual field schooling. For example, the first Virtual Field School between Canada (Western University) and Uganda (JCRC) took place in August 2020. The Global Health Systems (GHS) virtual field process involved video coverage tour of JCRC headquarters at Lubowa by the videography team and field school coordinator for GHS in Uganda (Dr. Josephine Nabugoomu). A selected team of 14 JCRC specialists lead by Dr. Cissy Kityo (the Executive Director, JCRC) made recorded presentation about on JCRC Please find link for the JCRC video.
The video informed the question and answer session with 42 students of western university – Canada.