Scholars will attend online interactive sessions and workshops one day per month. The rest of the multi-disciplinary programme including didactic teaching, discussion boards, reading, and resources are offered online, which you can access it in your own time.

The programme is suitable for surgeons, physicians, anesthesiologists, emergency medicine doctors, obstetricians, pharmacists, nurses and midwives working in the hospital setting, as well as safety and quality managers. Graduates achieve an in-depth understanding of error and risk in healthcare systems, you will acquire the skills to be safer and more efficient in your own practice, and gain the knowledge and skills to improve the safety and quality of care in your work systems.

The aims of the programme include the development of:

• a comprehensive understanding of error, risk and safety in healthcare;
• the social, cognitive and personal resource skills necessary to be safe and effective healthcare workers, team members and team leaders; and
• expertise in conducting patient safety research and quality improvement initiatives in healthcare.

The programme is accredited by the National University of Ireland, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) and RCSI.

Why should I take this course?

We believe that every healthcare and social care organisation should have ‘in-house’ knowledge in Human Factors. However, rather than having to return to university to take a postgraduate degree, the Learning Pathway offers an online work-based route to accredited Technical Specialist (Healthcare) status with the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors (CIEHF).

How is it structured?

There are three levels, with Level 1 free to NHS staff in England and Wales via Health Education England (HEE) and in Scotland via NHS Education for Scotland (NES). This one hour online interactive course introduces some key messages.

• Human Factors as a new ‘way of thinking’ about safety in everyday work.
• Human Factors is the study of human work. This involves learning about human capabilities and limitations e.g. our physical size or strength, how we think and remember things.  We can use this knowledge to improve our well-being and performance through the type of work we do, where and when we have to do it and who we do it with.

It also tackles some of the myths and misunderstandings about Human Factors, for example

• TRUE or FALSE: Human Factors address problems by teaching people to modify their behaviour. This statement is FALSE, Human Factors addresses problems by modifying the design of work systems, not by teaching people to modify their behaviour
• TRUE or FALSE: Human Factors is about eliminating human error. This statement is FALSE, Human Factors aims to design systems that are resilient to unanticipated events.

Level 2 offers nine online courses with live activities and breakout rooms, as well as access to additional learning materials. You start with 2 one-day courses (Systems and Task Analysis) to learn the fundamental principles (new way of thinking about safety); this includes about Systems mapping (Systems Engineering for Patient Safety, SEIPS) and Task analysis (Hierarchical Task Analysis, HTA).

The other seven courses can be taken in any order: Risk analysis & resilience, Incident investigation, Medical devices, Leadership & teamwork, Procedures, Physical environment, Teaching/disseminating HFE. 

The first Systems and Task Analysis courses ran in February 2022, with the repeat sessions in April, July, September, etc. The course delegates described them as

"helpful, insightful, challenging, engaging, inclusive, and fun!"

"very good presentations and enjoyed the group activities"

There is already lots of interest with several hospitals block booking up to 100 places for their staff.

Level 3 provides mentoring and a professional network three times a year as support and encouragement to develop. The first cohort started in December 2021 and they are on their way to becoming a TechCIEHF. 

Each has an individual mentor (Chartered Human Factors Specialist) who can discuss Human Factors challenges at work, Human Factor tools and solutions.  There are additional learning materials available to extend knowledge and skills.  There is also an opportunity to join a Healthcare Human Factors network with over 50 members and meetings three times every year (online and in-person).

You can apply for a Healthcare Learning Pathway mentor if you have either completed an accredited PGCert in HFE, or five Level 2 courses.

All modules will run at least twice a year and the dates and booking links will be published here: www.lboro.ac.uk/design/hfehub - so keep an eye on that if you are interested.

It's an exciting time to be working in health and social care Human Factors and this Learning Pathway supports the next generation of experts!