HUG Your Baby Website
PO Box 3102 Durham, NC USA

HUG Teaching: Barriers to Completing the Certified HUG Teacher Program

HUG Your Baby wanted feedback from professionals who had registered for the Certified HUG Teacher course but had not yet completed it. I sent a survey to these professionals, hoping to identify and address any barriers to completing this program. Of course, many on our list of “New Certified HUG Teacher Trainees” have recently registered, and I would expect them to still be in process. 

Here is a summary of the survey results:

“I have not completed the Certified HUG Teacher course for the following reasons.”
Professionals could choose more than one answer to the following questions.
57%     “I am too busy.”
38%     “No barriers. I intend to complete the CHT program.”
19%     “The timeline to finish the course has run out.”
16%     “The need to document visits with patients is a barrier for me.”
12%     “The requirement to write a blog is a barrier for me.”

Additional individual responses included job changes, personal or family illness, and the need to complete another training program first.

“What TWO changes to the CHT requirement would help you most in completing this program?”  Half of the professionals responded to this question.
Several needed help with the online format.
Several did not want to record their parent visits.
A number did not feel the need for any change in the requirements.

“Please write other comments here.”
The vast majority said they intend to complete the program. A few are struggling with the online format; their computer skills or Internet access are limiting factors for them. Several added here that they do not use (and do not want to join) Facebook as a way to connect and to learn more about HUG Your Baby.

I HAVE HEARD YOUR CONCERNS!   
. . . and have made the following changes in the program: 
  1. Blog: Because some of you worry about your writing skills, I made the publishing of your blog OPTIONAL. You will still need to write up a paragraph or two about your experiences using The HUG. But, just let me know if you want your story shared on the Give The HUG Blog, or not.
  2. Revised PowerPoint:  As some requested, we have revised the HUG PowerPoint and Script with YOUR IDEAS in mind. Go to THIS LINK to access these 2014 HUG Resources. (Malaysian professionals use THIS LINK for the PowerPoint with more Malaysian families.)
  3. Study Guide: In order to help you distill the most important information from the Required Readings, we have written concise questions to guide you through those articles and blogs. Go to THIS LINK to access this new Study Guide.
  4. Facebook Avoidance: Connecting with HUG Your Baby on Facebook is OPTIONAL, not required.
  5. Extending time: Email me if your time to complete this course has expired, and I will get you going again! 
  6.  Online challenges:  The online company I use, Digital Chalk, currently works with Internet Explorer (Version 6 and greater), Firefox (Version 2.0 and greater), Safari, and Chrome. Email me if you have misplaced your password or are having difficulty accessing your course. Forgetting one's password is by far the most common problem that people have in working with the online format. I can help you with that!
Parent Visits:  I know that some of you would prefer not to document your parent visits. However, I have been teaching The HUG long enough to know that there is often a gap between what a professional knows and understands and how successful they are in communicating those ideas to parents. I call this documentation “eye-ball exercises.” The act of documenting your parent visit and writing your blog (published or not) will cause you to LOOK more closely at the baby and at your encounter with her parents.