Sample Needs Assessment/Gap Analysis for Postgraduate Course
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that birth rates for women in their 40s and 50s have been steadily rising. Although medical risks associated with advanced maternal and paternal age are more evident, clinicians are facing increased patient pressure to provide care to older prospective parents.
Unchecked, this trend potentially can lead to the development or worsening of a number of medical, psychological, social, and ethical dilemmas, including but not limited to pregnancy complications, involuntary childlessness, surplus/abandoned embryos, parental age-related health and psychological risks for children, children
facing parental death at earlier ages, decreased or absent grandparent relationships, and complex/emotional balancing acts between the reproductive autonomy of the parent generation and the resulting impact on the child. ASRM has identified gaps in knowledge that are related to the rise in delayed parenting, including a need
to better understand the effects of advanced paternal age on offspring, health issues in children and adults conceived via assisted reproductive technology, embryo abandonment, health and societal factors, and medical ethics. Similarly, several professionals have raised the alarm that reproductive health professionals are
underprepared to respond to increased demand for delayed parenting.
Sample Description of Postgraduate Course
This course will identify educational needs of new generations of employees and continuous learning activities for experienced health-care professionals in reproductive medicine; outline best strategies for recruitment, training, and retention of employees, as well as establishment of competencies and clinical ladders; and
review legalities regarding medical and nursing personnel, including scope of practice and risk management. In terms of practice management, the course will address cost analysis for employee turnover and management and organization of a team with various acuities. Emphasis will be on techniques that contribute to the strength
of workforces and success of practices.
Sample Target Audience for Postgraduate Course
This interprofessional course is designed for physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, practice managers, and attorneys.
The intention of an interactive session is to engage dynamically with the audience. There should be limited lecture time. After a very short lecture, each speaker should engage with the audience to allow for audience participation. The interactive sessions involve a variety of educational formats that help to engage the audience
in the content presented. These formats include:
Roving Microphone/Speaker Format
- This format allows the Speaker to briefly introduce the topic, present a case or problem, and then pose a question to the audience. Using a roving microphone, audience members can voice their opinion and/or provide insight based on their experience and expertise. The Speaker then closes the discussion by summarizing
the points discussed and the known literature. The goal of this session is to cover at least 3 topics, allowing for maximum input from the audience.
Case Presentation/Expert Discussion
- With this interactive format, the moderator (who also serves as one of the speakers) introduces the topic of the session. Two to three additional speakers participate by presenting cases/scenarios from their specific experiences and expertise. Participants will be encouraged to engage in the discussion by bringing their
own experiences to the conversation. Polling, roving microphone, and/or ARS could be used for this session type.
Audience Response System (ARS)/Polling/Word Clouds
- This format enables a speaker to interact with the audience by collecting and analyzing responses to questions. Questions are then shared in real-time allowing for expanded discussion, better audience participation, and engagement in the topics discussed. Each speaker presents their topic followed by 1 – 2 multiple choice
questions posed to the audience, who respond using the audience response system (ARS). Participants are then given the opportunity to discuss why they chose the answer they chose, stimulating further discussion. Word Clouds are also a great way to utilize the ARS system and allow your audience to give opinions and ideas,
especially when creative thinking is desired.
Debate/Point-Counterpoint
- This dynamic session format allows for a controversial topic related to clinical or laboratory practice, including but not limited to different techniques or treatment options, to be discussed from opposing viewpoints in a professional forum. This format employs a neutral moderator and two (pro, con) debaters who genuinely
disagree about the proposed question. This format allows alternative opinions in practice to be heard and considered, further allowing for professional practice growth and potential practice changes that impact patient outcomes.
Team-based Learning
- With this interactive session, audience participants are broken up into small groups of 4-7 individuals. The moderator/speaker introduces the topic and poses a question around that topic for the groups to discuss. The evidence around the question posed is deliberated, and each group develops an evidence-based consensus
answer. The groups then come back together to examine and debate the different group answers conceived.
If you have ideas or suggestions for other interactive session formats or if you have questions about how to incorporate interactivity into your session, please get in touch with
Callie Armstead at carmstead@asrm.org, or Dr. Chevis Shannon at cshannon@asrm.org.