What Difference
Do We Make

Where are our graduates?

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonOur aims (aspirations)

Graduates are distributed according to the population and health needs of the communities and regions that we serve, where they can best address health inequities and strengthen the health system.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonHow do we know we are achieving our aims? (indicators)

The following indicators will assess our progress towards these aims:
  • The location of graduates closely mirrors the geographical distribution of health needs in the communities and regions we serve
  • The proportion of graduates who remain working with the communities and regions we serve or similar communities five years after graduation
  • The number or proportion of graduates working in underserved communities (as defined in needs assessment)
  • The number or proportion of graduates working in identified areas of health workforce shortage

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonWhat data can be gathered? (suggested sources of evidence)

Use one or more of the following methods to gather data to assess progress towards these aims:

Document Review

Below are suggested documents to identify the degree to which graduates are working in the areas of health and workforce needs:
  • Internal or national graduate tracking reports
  • Alumni tracking data or reports
  • School publications
  • Regional health workforce documents or maps
Additional questions and tools are available here.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonTools To Help

Additional Tools and Resources

Below are some resources that may help you.

THEnet Graduates Outcomes Study Tool:

A module developed by THEnet to guide schools through the process of planning, carrying out and analyzing graduate tracking. Available Fall 2017 here.

Some National Comparator Data Sets:

For the latest tools from THEnet go to the Framework Toolkit.

What are our graduates doing?

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonOur aims (aspirations)

Our graduates provide care well suited to the health needs of the communities and regions that we serve.

They focus on generalist disciplines providing comprehensive primary health care (with attention to the social determinants of health).

We produce graduates technically, socially and culturally suited to address the health and social needs of communities and the health system.

Our graduates are active in advocacy and broader health systems reform.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonHow do we know we are achieving our aims? (indicators)

The following indicators will assess our progress towards these aims:
  • Graduate knowledge, attitudes and skills are relevant to their practice and setting
  • Evidence that gaps in health services in priority areas of disadvantage are being addressed by local graduates
  • The number and proportion of graduates engaged in providing primary health care
  • The number and proportion of graduates engaged in addressing the social determinants of health
  • The distribution of graduate specialization is proportional to health workforce and health service needs
  • The balance of graduates working in public versus private system, urban versus rural areas, primary versus secondary versus tertiary care settings reflects workforce and health care needs
  • The number and proportion of graduates undertaking postgraduate studies for specialization so they can better address needs of community and health workforce (focus on generalism and generalist specialists as needed)
  • Graduates are recognized by community and government as advocates for their patients and communities
  • The number and proportion of graduates in leadership roles within health service delivery system

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonWhat data can be gathered? (suggested sources of evidence)

Use one or more of the following methods to gather data to assess progress towards these aims:

Document Review

Below are suggested documents to review what your school's graduates are doing:
  • School publications with alumni information
  • Accreditation documents outlining national competency requirements for health professional graduates
  • School database tracking graduate outcomes
  • Regional health workforce documents or maps
  • Regional or national registration or licensing databases (where available)
Additional questions and tools are available here.

How do we support our graduates and other health workers?

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonOur aims (aspirations)

We are involved in the continuum of health professional education and support our graduates and other health workers in general to promote access, quality and efficiency of health care.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonHow do we know we are achieving our aims? (indicators)

The following indicators will assess our progress towards these aims:
  • The number and participation in continuing professional development programs offered by the school to support graduates and other health workers to work in areas addressing priority health needs
  • The number and uptake of continuing professional development programs for graduates and other health workers to be involved in teaching
  • The number and proportion of graduates and other health workers participating in continuing professional development appropriate to practice and setting
  • The number and proportion of graduates and other health workers who participate in training programs specific to local priority health needs
  • The number and proportion of alumni available to mentor learners, new graduates and other health workers
  • The number and proportion of graduates and other health workers who become adjunct academic tutors or adjunct supervisors in clinical practice

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonWhat data can be gathered? (suggested sources of evidence)

Use one or more of the following methods to gather data to assess progress towards these aims.

Document Review

Below are suggested documents to determine how your school supports its graduates and other health workers:
  • Continuing professional development policies , programs and Memoranda of Understanding with postgraduate training providers
  • School human resources and clinical placement databases
  • School adjunct and clinical appointment policies
  • Audit of existing adjunct tutors and clinical supervisors:
  • Assess for longitudinal participation
  • Satisfaction with existing levels of support and training
  • Assess for ongoing support required
Additional questions and tools are available here.

How have we shared our ideas and influenced others?

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonOur aims (aspirations)

We are engaged in a continuous process of critical reflection and analysis with others and disseminate what we learn in many ways.

We influence policy makers, education providers and other stakeholders to transform the health system.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonHow do we know we are achieving our aims? (indicators)

The following indicators will assess our progress towards these aims:
  • The number of relevant publications
  • Number of hits and views of relevant material on school website
  • The number of relevant conference presentations
  • Media appearances or press releases related to social accountability and health professional education (and coverage in social media)
  • Partnerships with relevant stakeholders including other universities
  • Educator and learner exchanges relevant to social accountability related activities
  • Examples of policy changes in response to school influence
  • Active membership of and contribution to professional organizations relevant to social accountability
  • The number and topic of relevant joint research projects
  • The number and sites of peer education and mentoring visits
  • The number of requests for collaboration
  • Evidence of continual improvement in response to critical self-reflection and feedback

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonWhat data can be gathered? (suggested sources of evidence)

Use one or more of the following methods to gather data to assess progress towards these aims:

Document Review

Below are suggested documents to review how your school shares ideas and influences others:
  • List of relevant school publications and conference presentations
  • Citation counts and other citation metrics of relevant publications
  • Relevant school website activity and metrics
  • Community meetings or newsletters
  • Register of academic exchanges
  • Annual and financial reports
  • Number of benefactors supporting the school
  • Register of involvement of school staff as office holders in non-profit and professional groups
  • Accreditation visits and external examiners reports
  • Policy records and quality improvement frameworks
  • Proof of research utilization
  • Documents listing responses to evaluation and self-assessment
Additional questions and tools are available here.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonTools To Help

Additional Tools and Resources

Below are some resources that may help you. These are suggested tools only, and not developed by THEnet.

Consider social network analysis to map and measure relationships between people, groups, organizations and communities. It can also be used to measure the dissemination of learning.


For the latest tools from THEnet go to the Framework Toolkit.

What impact have we made with other schools?

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonOur aims (aspirations)

We actively engage with and support other institutions across national boundaries to progress socially accountable health professional education.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonHow do we know we are achieving our aims? (indicators)

The following indicators will assess our progress towards these aims:
  • The number of schools joined in socially accountable projects
  • The number of schools recognizing social accountability as a core value
  • Changes to educational programs in other schools as a result of interaction with our school
  • Increasing number of enquiries from other health professionals about social accountability
  • The number of schools assisted to adopt socially accountable health professional education
  • The number and topic of relevant joint research projects
  • The number of publications and conference presentations (and citation metrics)
  • The number and site of peer education and mentoring visits
  • Mentoring ties and buddy relationships between schools
  • Site visit to other schools

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonWhat data can be gathered? (suggested sources of evidence)

Use one or more of the following methods to gather data to assess progress towards these aims:

Document Review

Below are suggested documents to identify the impact your school has made with other schools:
  • School website and social media sites (tracking system of hits and participation)
  • Number of requests for collaboration
  • Meeting notes
  • Joint publications and conference papers with citation metrics
  • Documentation of mentoring relationships
  • Record of joint projects and project outcomes
Additional questions and tools are available here.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonTools To Help

Additional Tools and Resources

Below are some resources that may help you. These are suggested tools only, and not developed by THEnet.

Consider social network analysis to look at relationships between schools and the strength of these ties.


For the latest tools from THEnet go to the Framework Toolkit.

What difference have we made to the health of the communities and regions that we serve?

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonOur aims (aspirations)

We improve the health and wellbeing of all in the communities and regions that we serve, with a particular focus on the health of underserved populations.

We have a positive impact on priority health and social needs of our communities.

We are recognized as agents of positive change by our partners and key stakeholders in the community.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonHow do we know we are achieving our aims? (indicators)

The following indicators will assess our progress towards these aims:
  • Improved health indicators across the communities and regions that we serve:
    • mortality rates
    • morbidity rates
    • preventable hospitalizations
  • Reduced inequity in health outcomes across the communities and regions that we serve
  • Improvement in education completion and employment rates across the communities that we serve
  • Increased community satisfaction with care
  • Improved measures of access to care for all
  • Improved access to health education opportunities for underrepresented groups
  • Improvement in utilization of health services among underrepresented groups
  • Models of partnership that reflect social accountability values
  • Numbers of community meetings held
  • Number of joint activities and level of participation
  • Perceived impact of school by key stakeholders in the community and health service

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonWhat data can be gathered? (suggested sources of evidence)

Use one or more of the following methods to gather data to assess progress towards these aims:

Document Review

Below are suggested documents to identify the degree to which your school has influenced the health of the communities and regions it serves:
  • National and local health surveys and statistics
  • Number of health services provided
  • National and regional mortality and morbidity data
  • Preventable hospital admissions data
  • Memoranda of Understanding (or other arrangements with key stakeholders)
  • School annual reports
  • Social, economic, employment and infrastructure data for populations
Audit of health outcomes in communities:
  • Where data is not already collected and aggregated, a school might need to audit and collect data about health status and health service utilization, and work with the health system to strengthen systems for recording this information

Focus Groups/Interviews

Below are types of questions your school can ask in focus group discussions or in interviews with leadership, educators, learners and key stakeholders:
  • How satisfied are you with the activities of the school in the region?
  • How have students and graduates of the school made noticeable improvements on the health of the communities in the region?
  • In what ways does the school help the local community to organize themselves for health action?
  • What examples are there of the school responding to community need?
  • What could the school do better to improve health outcomes?
Additional questions and tools are available here.

What difference have we made to the health system in our region?

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonOur aims (aspirations)

In partnerships with stakeholders, we contribute to the transformation of health systems to be of better quality, more equitable and cost effective as well as more relevant to the health needs of our reference populations.

We improve access to and the quality of health care for the communities and regions that we serve.

We help the health system to deliver health services in a way that optimizes cost benefit.

We are recognized agents of positive change by our partners and key stakeholders in the health system.

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonHow do we know we are achieving our aims? (indicators)

The following indicators will assess our progress towards these aims:
  • Improvement in health workforce numbers and retention in underserved areas
  • The demographic data of those accessing health services closely mirrors the demographics of those with the greatest health care needs
  • The availability and distribution of health services in the region better aligns with priority health needs of the community
  • Improving cost benefit of service provision (better outcomes for the same or lower cost)
  • A demonstrable improvement in quality improvement processes within the health system (and commitment to continuous quality improvement)
  • An improved safety record within the health system
  • Demonstrable changes in health care policy and/or health service delivery as a result of the school’s activity
  • Models of partnerships reflect social accountability values
  • Health service providers perception of the contribution of the school
  • Leadership, educators and personnel in positions of responsibility within the health system

ui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonui accordion buttonWhat data can be gathered? (suggested sources of evidence)

Use one or more of the following methods to gather data to assess progress towards these aims:

Document Review

Below are suggested documents to identify the difference your school has made to the health system in your region:
  • Regional data about health workforce distribution and retention
  • Health service policies around quality improvement and safety
  • Health service utilization data
  • Health service budget and resource allocation
  • Memoranda of Understanding (or other arrangements) with key stakeholders
  • School annual reports
  • Human resources records
Focus Groups/Interviews

Below are types of questions your school can ask in focus group discussions or in interviews with leadership, educators, learners and key stakeholders:
  • Are you able to give examples of changes in the health system in this region due to the activities of the school?
  • In what ways has health service capacity increased to meet health needs since the development of the school?
Additional questions and tools are available here.

Recent Resources

Download The Framework

DOWNLOAD PDF (119KB)

THEnet is a trusted provider of technical assistance in designing socially accountable and community engaged health workforce education programs, evaluating education initiatives and their impact, and offering policy guidance to governments, schools and international partners.

For example, as an international expert in the evaluation of health workforce education, we were chosen by the US Government to conduct an external midterm evaluation of its $130 million-dollar Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI) in Africa. Upon completion of the evaluation, the U.S. Government contracted us to conduct the midterm evaluation of its $30 million-dollar Global Nurse Capacity Building Program (GNCBP) that includes nursing and midwifery education.

THEnet offers technical assistance and consultancy services in the following areas:

  • Guiding health workforce education institutions using the Framework for Socially Accountable Health Workforce Education.
  • Supporting governments in carrying out the Framework for Socially Accountable Health Workforce Education on a national level.
  • Conducting baseline and needs assessments for health-system strengthening related to human resources for health.
  • Assessing the outcomes and impact of health workforce education institutions and programs and facilitating strategic and operational planning.
  • Advancing the implementation of social accountability strategies and accountability mechanisms at the institutional and national levels, including strategies and tools for:
  • Community engagement
  • Needs assessments
  • Curriculum revision
  • Faculty and student recruitment
  • Quality assurance at clinical training sites
  • Graduate tracking
  • Outcome and impact evaluation
  • Inter-professional collaboration
  • Policy, Regulation and Accreditation
  • Leadership development for social accountability

Please contact info@thenetcommunity.org if you are interested in accessing THEnet’s services and expertise.