In 2014, a major shift in the strategic directions of SMSB (SMSB Strategy 2014 – 2017) resulted in the establishment of the Educational Development Centre (EDC, 2014). EDC was introduced as an advisory and liaising body to provide technical support to the specialty councils of SMSB in line with the strategic directions. Educational Development Center units are Curricula and Programs Unit, International Cooperation and Bilateral Agreement Unit, Quality and Accreditation Unit, Research and Publications Unit, and Training and Development Unit.

Fourth Issue

E D C N E W S L E T T E R

PANORAMA 2016

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Based on a heritage of postgraduate medical education dating back to the 1930s, the Sudan Medical Specialization Board (SMSB) was established in 1995 by Presidential Decree under the Sudan Medical Specialization Act (1995). SMSB is the sole professional training body in the Republic of the Sudan. It is mandated with managing and delivering medical and health specialty education. The specialty councils are the foundation of SMSB. They are responsible for the implementation of postgraduate training activities of doctors and allied health professionals.

Proud of its heritage and its record, strong in its autonomy and the wealth of its knowledge, SMSB functions to improve the performance of health systems through standardized and monitored training in order to produce competent and committed specialists.

The SMSB aspires to stand out as a leading institution of outstanding quality in health professional education and training at national, regional and global level.

MISSION

VISION

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The Educational Development Centre (EDC) was established in 2014 as an integral part of the Sudan Medical Specialization Board. It was assigned with:

1. Capacity building for faculty and staff;

2. Offering quality training to the SMSB candidates;

3. Promoting research and publications;

4. Reviewing, updating and developing curricula for existing and new programs;

5. Establishing constructive national, regional and international partnerships and relations.

EDC BACKGROUND

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EDC’s UNITS IN 2016

R E S E A R C H A N D P U B L I C AT I O N S U N I T

Q U A L I T Y A N D A C C R E D I TAT I O N U N I T

I N T E R N AT I O N A L C O O P E R AT I O N U N I T

C U R R I C U L A A N D P R O G R A M S U N I T

T R A I N I N G A N D D E V E L O P M E N T U N I T

The Health Professions Education Diploma (HPE Dip) for the SMSB specialty councils was a major milestone of the Curricula and Programs Unit (CPU) in 2016:

CURRICULA AND PROGRAMS UNIT

HPE DIPLOMA

Two workshops about educational planning and curriculum designing were held on Saturday, 5th March and Saturday, 23rd April. It covered the module of how to set objectives and make an evaluation for educational programs.

F IRST HPE COURSE

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2Saturday, 28th May:The second workshop focused on teaching

methods for small groups. It highlighted the different models of clinical teaching, their applicability for training and group development stage. A guest speaker and expert in medical education, Professor Mohamed Yousif Sukkar, delivered a lecture on the role and characteristics of the facilitator.

3Saturday, 16th August:Led by Professor Abdelmoniem Sahl, the

third workshop focused on teaching methods and learning styles for health professions education.

SECOND HPE COURSE

1Saturday, 7th May:

The first workshop was an overview of the learning theories and styles relevant to medical education and their impact on instruction. Professor Amal Mahmoud Saeed introduced participants to the effective methods of teaching large groups and designing scientific lectures.

Face-to-face Workshops: Learning Situation and Educational Strategies

FOURTH HPE COURSEThree Research Methodology workshops were held on 12th November, 3rd and 24th December 2016.

F IFTH HPE COURSETwo workshops on Educational Mentoring and Supervision were delivered on 19th November and 31st December 2016.

THIRD HPE COURSEFive workshops on the Assessment of the Learner were conducted on the following dates: 10th, 23rd, 30th July and 13th, 25th August 2016.

CPU reached a consensus with the University of Hargeisa (Somaliland) on the following; CPU will:

1. Review their current curricula and develop new curricula that meet the international standards.

2. Provide training to the staff on curriculum development.

3. Assist the University of Hargeisa to develop its own Health Professions Education Diploma.

The curricula of the new Nursing programs are under process for reviewal and approval:

CPU has reviewed and followed up two curricula of Nursing programs in liaison with the curricula steering committee.

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5. Contributed in the implementation of

fourteen research m e t h o d o l o g y programs.

6. Became a part of the editorial board

of the journal of the SMSB.

1. The unit reviewed 599 research proposals and provided more than 150 consultations to SMSB registrars.

2. A total number of 1091 Thesis Writing Guidelines handbooks were distributed.

3. Staff members participated in the 2nd International Conference of Public Health, Sri Lanka with an oral presentation.

4. RPU is establishing partnerships with the Federal Ministry of Health to strengthen the research capacity at SMSB.

RPU Activities

2016

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS UNIT

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1Jordanian Medical Council.

2CanHealth International Inc.

3Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and

Research.

4National Sports Academy “Vassil Levski”-

Bulgaria.

5MBAL TRAKIA EOOD Stara Zagora – Bulgaria.

6European Resuscitation Council.

7University of Alberta, Canada.

8 Ministry of Health (Saudi Arabia).

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND BILATERAL AGREEMENT UNITThroughout 2016, strong partnerships were established and MoUs were signed with:

9 Health Service Executive and Forum

of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies (International Medical Graduate Training Initiative).

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This year has witnessed significant progress with regards to the Saudi profile; a collaborative agreement was signed between Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health and Sudan’s Ministry of Health in June 2016.

The Diaspora program is a platform, through which Sudanese professionals living abroad can contribute to the development of their country and network with their colleagues in Sudan. To date, the program has signed MoUs with:1. Sudanese Medical Association UK & Ireland (SMA).2. Sudanese Doctors’ Union of Ireland (SDU Ireland).3. Sudanese American Medical Association (SAMA).4. Sudanese Corporation for Higher Education Support (Saudi Arabia).5. Secretariat of Sudanese working abroad, Sudanese Partnership for Knowledge Transfer by expatriate nationals.

The agreement supports cooperation, and strengthens the relationship and mutual benefits between the two countries. This will promote cooperation in the areas of health care provision and training. The agreement and its provisions have been activated in December 2016. The health affairs’ directors of Aseer and Qunfuda provinces were delegated to implement the terms of the agreement.

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

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DIASPORA PROGRAMMEResolving migration challenges through Sudanese expatriates

SMSB Standard Operat ing Procedures (SOPs) M anual

QUALITY AND ACCREDITATION UNIT

A taskforce was assigned to develop the SOPs manual.

Tra ining S i tes Accreditat ion Manual

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The manual is a c o m p r e h e n s i v e framework of the standards required to become an accredited SMSB training site.

A taskforce was assigned to develop the SOPs manual.

A needs assessment workshop was conducted to determine the requirements of each specialty council for quality training of registrars.

TRAINING SITES ACCREDITATION MANUAL

12th January 2016

A second workshop followed which was attended by the Rapporteurs of the specialty councils to review the contents provided by the training committees of their respective council.

31st March 2016

A draft of the manual was reviewed by the Heads of the specialty councils to revise its contents.

26th April 2016

The final step of the manual’s review was an Endorsement Workshop conducted in the Police House Conference Hall and which was attended by SMSB’s key partners and stakeholders nationally.

20th August 2016

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To meet the need for improved trauma care, two STEPs courses were conducted at the EDC during 2016.

The first one was from 4th to 7th January and the second one on 24th to 27th April 2016.

Targeting physicians at all levels, the STEPs Course was designed and tailored for the context of Middle East and Africa by Professor Jon Mark Hirshon from the University of Maryland, USA and colleagues from Shock Trauma and Ain Shams University, Egypt.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT UNIT

RESEARCHMETHODOLOGY COURSE

Fourteen courses were conducted during 2016. The courses were delivered for beneficiaries from the specialty councils for four consecutive days. Through the Research Methodology courses, participants acquire the core competenciesrequired for undertaking the SMSB thesis examination.

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STEPs COURSESequential Trauma Education Program

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QUALITATIVE RESEARCH COURSE17th - 19th May 2016

In collaboration with the University of Leeds, UK, a three-day basic course in Qualitative Research was offered at the EDC by Dr. Maye Omer, Dr. Ghada Shouna and Dr. Elsheikh Badr. 25 candidates from different specialties attended the course (DPH, Family Medicine, Community Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy) including a few EDC staff.

The ALSO course was conducted from the 19th - 21st of May 2016 for candidates from the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Council. It was an intensive three-day course that included workshops, didactic learning, and hands-on training in the management of obstetric emergencies.

EMERGENCY ULTRASOUND COURSE 23rd -24th May 2016

The Emergency Ultrasound course was a two-day introductory course that covered all the primary applications of emergency ultrasound. It was arranged in the form of lectures and hands-on experience. The course was directed by Dr. El-Hadi El-Fadli Mustafa, a visiting Sudanese doctor from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and was attended by 25 candidates from the Emergency Medicine council.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT UNIT

ALSO COURSEAdvanced Life Support for Obstetrics

CRITICAL OBSTETRICS CARE COURSEThere were two courses during this year for the Obstetrics and Gynaecology council. The first course was conducted between 29th and 30th May. The second one was on 21st November 2016. A total of 136 candidates benefitted from both courses.

EUROPEAN RESUSCITATION COUNCIL (ERC) COURSESThe ERC courses include Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), Intermediate Life Support (ILS) and European Trauma Course (ETC).

SUDAN DOCTORS’ UNION OF IRELAND (SDUI)A three-day program was held between the 12th - 15th July 2016. Each day included two separate parallel programs at EDC. It was attended by 177 participants from different specialty councils. Sessions included Emergency Medicine, Endocrinology, General Surgery, Hematology, Oncology and Research Methodology.

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SUDANESE MEDICAL

ASSOCIATION, UK & IRELAND (SMA)

The seventh Joint International SMA Conference and the first SMA International Training School were held between 29th October and 1st November 2016 under the theme “Multi-disciplinary approach for control of cancer”.

CLINICAL LEADERSHIP COURSE

This was the first course conducted in the EDC in collaboration with the University of Leeds and facilitated by Dr. Duncan Ross from 26th December 2016 to 1st January 2017 in the form of two groups. The course was attended by 25 participants from different specialty councils. The University of Leeds is known for its world class program in Clinical Leadership that enables participants to develop the organizational and leadership skills necessary for leading roles in healthcare.

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NAME OF ACTIVITY NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES NUMBER OF CANDIDATES

1. Sudanese Emergency Life Support

(SELS)1 32

2. Research Methodology course 13 428

3. Sequential trauma Education Programs (STEPS) course

2 32

4. Implementation Research Course 1 13

5. Workshop on Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

1 44

6. Lectures from different specialties 4 445

7. Disaster Management Workshop 1 23

8. Evidence Based Practice 2 86

9. Essential Emergency Program 1 94

10. Qualitative Research 1 23

11. Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO)

1 24

12. Critical Obstetric Care (COC) 2 136

13. Emergency Ultrasound Course 1 25

T H E CO U R S E S A N D E D U C AT I O N A L AC T I V I T I E S O F 2016

T H E CO U R S E S A N D E D U C AT I O N A L AC T I V I T I E S O F 2016

NAME OF ACTIVITY NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES NUMBER OF CANDIDATES

14. Sudanese Doctor’s Union Ireland 29 177

15. European Resuscitation Council 34 304

16. Medical Education Diploma Workshops

12 35

17. Curriculum Design Workshop 1 53

18. Fellowship in GI Surgery 1 22

19. Assessment Blueprint and high quality OSCE stations Construction Workshop

1 27

20. Course Design 1 34

21. E-Learning 1 22

22. Sudanese Medical Association (SMA) Conference.

1 170

23. European Trauma Course 1 12

24. Clinical Leadership Course 2 38

TOTAL 114 2299

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CONTRIBUTORS

Reham Salah Salim Alaa ShariefAmal AbdelrahimSara AbdelazimOsman Abdelhamid

EDITORSLamis BeshirIslam Abdelrahman Mourouge A. Zeinelabdin Elzahraa Salawi Alaa Sharief