Train your staff as part of interRAI implementation
Having informed and well-trained staff is vital to the success of your interRAI implementation strategy. Developing a training plan with timelines will help keep your organization on track.
Jurisdictions may wish to standardize their approach to education and review the suggested learning pathways available in CIHI’s Learning Centre. ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨has education sessions on the interRAI Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCF), interRAI Home Care (HC) and interRAI Contact Assessment (CA), job aids on what is different between older and newer assessments, and educator resources.
CIHI’s role in training
If your organization or jurisdiction wants to adopt and implement the interRAI assessment system, ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨can provide resources and deliver training programs based on your assessed needs.
We offer
- Facilitated web conferences and web-based self-study education and training
- Resources for educators and/or trainers
- Collaboration and expertise on building a train-the-trainer model that can be customized to your organization
- Ongoing support, including
- Additional training (e.g., in data use, care planning and data submission)
- Answers to clinical coding questions
- Client Support Sessions
- Access to ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨expertise
Note: ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨does not offer training about your vendor’s software. If you would like software training, be sure to include this as part of your conversations when developing a contract with your vendor. Include considerations for post-implementation training for new users and considerations for regular annual training.
Things to consider when designing your education and training plan
CIHI, as part of its partnership agreement with interRAI, provides training free of charge to Core Plan organizations that implement the following interRAI assessments:
- interRAI Long-Term Care Facilities (interRAI LTCF)
- interRAI Home Care (interRAI HC)
- interRAI Contact Assessment (interRAI CA)
Costs for software-related training are generally part of an organization’s agreement with its software vendor.
CIHI’s education offerings consist of facilitated webinars led by members of its clinical team, as well as self-study modules. These can be accessed in CIHI’s Learning Centre.
Estimated durations for completing self-study modules are available once you click into a chosen course.
Facilitated sessions can also be provided to a specific jurisdiction to help it meet its learning requirements prior to implementation/transition.
ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨recommends assessors complete training 6 to 8 weeks prior to implementing the interRAI assessment and submitting to IRRS.
ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨also recommends you connect with your vendor to understand how long software training will take.
You can use this information to gauge timelines needed for training.
Clinical personnel will need to receive training on the use of interRAI assessments for the purposes of administering, documenting and coding assessments.
Experienced assessors may need less training compared with inexperienced ones, but they will still need to familiarize themselves with changes and new coding practices.
It is recommended that jurisdictions implement a train-the-trainer (PDF) model when establishing an education plan.
The training model should include education on the assessment as well as on the software used when completing the assessment.
Include considerations for post-implementation training for new users and for regular, ongoing training.
It’s important to note that an education plan will be dependent on a variety of factors such as size, number of resources and business processes. You will need to develop an education plan that fits your needs.
ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨offers a beginners course series for interRAI LTCF and interRAI HC. This series consists of courses designed to assist educators, new assessors and those requiring refresher training. It focuses on documenting assessment findings and using assessment information, outcome scales and Clinical Assessment Protocols (CAPs) to complete a person-centred care plan.
The new interRAI CA training consists of an eLearning session designed to assist assessors with documenting findings in community and hospital settings.
For experienced assessors, What’s Different information sessions in CIHI’s Learning Centre assist with understanding similarities and differences between newer interRAI assessments (interRAI LTCF 9.1.4, interRAI HC 9.1.4, interRAI CA version 10) and their predecessors (RAI-MDS 2.0, RAI-HC, interRAI CA version 9.1).
ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨can also provide presentations on the differences between older and newer suites of instruments as required.
Check out the courses in CIHI’s Learning Centre. You can review our and , which list courses for different roles.
If you require additional training that’s not currently available in those formats, please contact CIHI.
Yes, trainers can use ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨educational resources to develop their own learning and training products. Trainers can do this for ongoing education and for regular onboarding of new staff.
Depending on your facility or service delivery site, training plans may look very different. It is important to assess your own resources to determine how much and what type of training can be provided.
Please reach out to CIHI if you have any questions.
Tip: Start early
- Give learners time up front to apply learning — and to continue learning after formal training is complete. Expecting assessors to be perfect on day 1 may provoke anxiety.
- Ensure there is appropriate training on the vendor software solution. And ensure that this is aligned with the assessment training.
- Consider having super users support front-line staff through the initial adoption/transition and ensure they know who to contact if they have clinical coding questions.
Contact us
For general questions
For clinical questions
How to cite:
Canadian Institute for ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨ Information. Train your staff as part of interRAI implementation. Accessed April 12, 2025.
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