Vacancy: Motivational Interviewing Training Consultant

Company Profile

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a United States-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering, and promoting effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA designs, rigorously evaluate and refines these solutions and their applications together with decision-makers to ensure that the evidence created is used to  improve opportunities for the world’s poor.

Job Description

• Reports to: Associate Research Manager

Summary

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a United States-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA designs, rigorously evaluate and refines these solutions and their applications together with decision-makers to ensure that the evidence created is used to improve opportunities for the world’s poor.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant challenges to nations across the globe, with Ghana being no exception. The rollout of vaccines in the country has been an essential step towards curbing the spread of this disease. However, vaccine acceptance among Ghanaians remains an issue that needs attention. Despite efforts by health authorities to sensitize the population about the importance of vaccination, there still exists reluctance among some individuals due to misinformation surrounding vaccine safety or efficacy. This makes it particularly important for stakeholders such as government officials, traditional leaders, religious leaders, and healthcare providers to work together toward improving the vaccination rates against Covid-19.

Position Summary

IPA is seeking a highly skilled and experienced consultant to provide training on motivational interviewing techniques to health personnel in Ghana. The aim of this project is to enhance COVID-19 vaccination rates by improving communication among healthcare professionals to

dispel misinformation, address vaccine hesitancy and improve Covid-19 vaccine uptake.



The consultant will be responsible for designing and delivering a comprehensive training program on motivational interviewing specifically tailored to the context of COVID-19 vaccination. The training will focus on equipping doctors with the necessary skills and strategies to effectively engage with patients, address their concerns, and promote vaccine acceptance through motivational interviewing techniques.



Key Responsibilities and Deliverables

• Training Program Development: Support the design of a comprehensive training program on motivational interviewing techniques, incorporating relevant theory, practical exercises, case studies, and interactive sessions. The program should be culturally sensitive and address the unique context and challenges of COVID-19 vaccination in Ghana.


• Delivery of training: Work with the Principal Investigators to facilitate an engaging and interactive training sessions for health staff, ensuring active participation and knowledge retention. The training should cover key concepts of motivational interviewing, effective communication strategies, addressing vaccine hesitancy, and practical skills development on motivational interviewing.


• Training evaluation: Develop evaluation methods to assess the impact and effectiveness of the training program. Collecting feedback from participants and analyzing the results to identify areas of improvement and measure the training's success in improving doctors' motivational interviewing skills and their impact on vaccination rates.


• Training materials and resources: Developing and providing relevant training materials, resources, and job aids that can be used by health staff to reinforce their learning and apply motivational interviewing techniques in their daily practice.

Required Skills or Experience

• Extensive experience in delivering training on motivational interviewing techniques or related communication skills in the healthcare sector.


• Strong knowledge of motivational interviewing theory, principles, and applications, particularly in the context of healthcare and vaccine acceptance.


• Familiarity with the challenges and cultural dynamics surrounding COVID-19 vaccination in Ghana or similar settings.


• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage and motivate diverse audiences.


• Experience in evaluating training effectiveness and implementing improvements based on feedback.


• Collaborative approach, with the ability to work closely with stakeholders, including healthcare professionals and project coordinators.