New condensed offering of preceptorship program now extended to family physicians and nurse practitioners in other health authorities

It’s lunchtime, but Dr. Silvia Guillemi isn’t on break. Instead, she’s leading a learning session for a small group of health care providers at St. Paul’s Hospital.

It’s not unusual for Dr. Guillemi to participate in these types of sessions. In fact, as clinical education and training director for the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/ AIDS (BC-CfE), her time is often divided between treating patients living with HIV and sharing her experience and expertise with health care practitioners interested in HIV care.

Since its inception over a decade ago, the BC-CfE’s Clinical Education and Training Program has played a pivotal role in improving HIV/AIDS clinical care and treatment through personalized learning programs.

“The BC-CfE’s educational activities are adapted to the specific needs of HIV patients and their health care providers,” explained Dr. Guillemi, who is also the Assistant Medical Director of the John Ruedy Immunodeficiency Clinic (IDC) at St. Paul’s Hospital. “We have tailored our programs to educate health care providers towards the goal of increasing awareness of the importance of testing and treatment, in line with the BC-CfE’s Treatment as Prevention strategy.”

Health care professionals, frontline community workers, and students across B.C. participate in initiatives offered by the Clinical Education and Training Program. Education initiatives include AIDS Care Rounds, Forefront Lectures, HIV Updates, the IDC Journal Club, clinical training, online courses and educational webinars, many of which are accessible on the BC-CfE website.

One of the Clinical Education and Training Program’s features is the Preceptorship Program. The program is offered in collaboration with the R3 Enhanced Skills Program in the Department of Family Practice at the University of B.C. Traditionally a three-month program, it is available to primary care physicians and family practice residents who want to enhance their skills in the management and treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS. More recently, the BC-CfE offered a shorter version of the Preceptorship Program, in collaboration with Vancouver Coastal Health as part of the STOP HIV/AIDS initiative, for family physicians and nurse practitioners. This initiative has now been extended to B.C.’s Interior Health and Vancouver Island Health Authorities.

“Some of the primary objectives of this comprehensive program are to give participants knowledge and experience in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of HIV-positive patients,” said Helen Kang, BC-CfE clinical educator. “Beyond the immediate training, the participants establish a working relationship with the BC-CfE for ongoing support and continuing professional development in the HIV field.”

Successful applicants attend the IDC under the supervision of an HIV-experienced primary care physician, and take part in elective HIV Specialist Clinics, Outpatient Pharmacy, the AIDS ward, and other specialty clinics. The participants obtain knowledge in the initiation of antiretroviral therapies and assessment of co-morbidities, and the ability to recognize, diagnose and appropriately refer patients with HIV-related treatment failure or other complications.

Mark Schultz, Family Nurse Practitioner at the Comox Valley Nursing Centre in B.C., completed the Intensive Preceptorship Program in the spring of 2013.

“The course was extremely useful and well-organized, providing me with a proper framework for my HIV knowledge base,” he said. “I walked away feeling more confident and competent with a stronger understanding of the use of HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) and monitoring parameters. More importantly, I feel that it has allowed me to understand and serve my patients better.”

For more information about the Intensive Preceptorship Program, contact Helen Kang at (604) 682-2344 ext. 63219, or email education@cfenet.ubc.ca.