Course Introduction

Human resources for health are the foundation of the Health System: Their development shapes the social and technical base of these systems and is partly responsible for improving them. Because of this, their contribution is essential so that the system can advance towards Universal Health Coverage and guarantee equitable access for the entire population to quality health services.

The health situation generated by the COVID-19 Pandemic reinforces the evidence that the best strategy to ensure access and health coverage for the population, in addition to reducing the impact of the pandemic on highly complex health institutions, is to strengthen both the response capacity at the first level of care (FLC) and the health service networks.

To facilitate a well-functioning health service network and resolutive capacity at the FLC, availability and training of human resources for health must be ensured. Likewise, these workers must have decent working and employment conditions, have the ability to contribute and ensure that the conditions are being met. To achieve this, it is essential to have timely training with reliable and up-to-date information about managing these conditions.

Course Purpose

This course on Management of Working and Employment Conditions for Human Resources for Health offers those who provide health services, especially at the first level of care, the basic knowledge and concepts that health workers should have about managing working and employment conditions in health in the new health context generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learning objectives

Upon completing this course, participants will be trained to:

Identify the conceptual bases for managing working and employment conditions for human resources for health.

Analyze the key areas of intervention for managing work for human resources for health in the current health context.

Evaluate the main problems related to managing working conditions at the first level of care and their impact on the health of the human resource.

Recognize how management of working conditions relates to and influences the quality of care and health outcomes.

Target Audience

This course is directed towards persons working in the health sector, particularly at the first level of care, as well as decision-makers in charge of developing policies, planning programs and implementing them in health systems and services.

Duration and Time Commitment

This is a self-learning course that can be accessed on demand. Participants can decide the amount of time and timeframe they will dedicate to completing the course. Depending on the participant’s level of knowledge about managing working conditions in health, an estimated 90 to 150 minutes will be required per module. Therefore, the course has been assigned ten (10) hours.

Course Structure

This course includes five modules to be reviewed and completed in sequential order.

Modality

Self-learning course, free, open to the public, and with no time limits for completion. The course is taken online, through the Moodle virtual education platform of the WHO/PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health. The modules offer different educational materials such as narrated presentations, videos, reading material, stories of experiences, case studies, and practical activities.

Evaluation

Partial evaluations will be conducted in each module, and a final evaluation will review the topics worked on in the course.

Partial and final evaluations will be carried out using closed-ended questions and are designed to allow participants multiple attempts to correctly answer until they achieve a score of at least 70%.

Certificate

Students who meet the requirements to pass the course can download the certificate of approval issued by the Pan American Health Organization.