Training Programmes
Smile Train offers our partners a range of clinical training opportunities and resources in surgery, anaesthesia, nursing, and comprehensive cleft care.
As the global leader in supporting cleft care, Smile Train offers our partners a range of clinical training opportunities and resources in surgery, anaesthesia, nursing, and comprehensive cleft care. Contact partner@smiletrain.org to find upcoming opportunities near you and your team. Smile Train also offers a range of online training resources for Smile Train partners.
Smile Train Virtual Surgery Simulator
The simulator is an advanced, interactive, freely available, 3D simulation technology that provides instruction on a variety of complex cleft surgical procedures. The software is multilingual and combines actual intra-operative surgical footage from the operating theatre, interactive animated three-dimensional content, text labels, and voiceover for an immersive learning experience.
Cleft Lip and Palate Simulators
In low-resource settings, access to safe, high-quality surgical training can be a challenge, particularly when it comes to training for specialised procedures like cleft lip and palate surgery.
We’re working to ensure that surgeons and trainees around the globe have access to the most advanced, effective cleft surgery training tools available today. Our Simulare Cleft Lip and Palate 3D-printed Simulators provide hyper-realistic models for cleft surgical training, leading to safer, higher-quality surgery for every patient, every time.
Virtual Surgery Videos
These educational videos present various stages of cleft repair through 3-D animations and live recordings of advanced surgical techniques.
Virtual Surgery Simulator Virtual Surgery Videos
Contributing Authors: Dr. Court Cutting (Smile Train Chairman Emeritus), Aaron Oliker, BioDigital et. al.
For additional interactive materials please see Smile Train's award-winning Virtual Surgery Simulator.
Safe Nursing Care Training
Recognising the key role nurses play in patient care and safety, Smile Train has developed the Safe Nursing Care Saves Lives Workshop, a training that provides nurses at Smile Train partners with essential skills to administer high-quality nursing care for children undergoing cleft surgery. Download the Manual in English and contact partner@smiletrain.org for access to the entire curriculum in English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese.
Cleft Palate Speech Training
In partnership with Teachers College, Columbia University, we offer an introductory online course on effective cleft palate speech care. The purpose of the training is to empower more speech therapists and paraprofessionals with strategies to improve children’s speech and lives. The course is followed by an ASHA-approved CEU exam.
We also offer "Train the Trainer" manuals on cleft speech therapy for local trainers. These manuals make the course ready for local trainers worldwide to download and train the next generation of cleft professionals.
| Take Online Course for CEU Credit | English | Spanish |
| Review The Online Course Modules (Video) | English | |
| Train The Trainer Manual | English | Spanish |
Cleft Nutrition Program
Smile Train knows that a baby born with a cleft, especially a cleft palate, may have difficulty feeding and is at an increased risk of being malnourished. In partnership with the global organisation SPOON, Smile Train has developed a two-day course on effective cleft feeding. The goal is to empower local professionals to be able to train mothers and caretakers on topics such as effective breastfeeding, safe bottle/spoon/cup feeding and weaning children, as well as approaches to managing malnutrition in children with a cleft lip and/or palate. Download the Manual and Handouts in English and contact partner@smiletrain.org for access to the entire curriculum in English, Spanish, French, Bangla, Hindi, Portuguese, Bahasan.
We also offer "Train the Trainer" manuals on cleft speech therapy for local trainers. These manuals make the course ready for local trainers worldwide to download and train the next generation of cleft professionals.
Nutrition & Feeding Trainer Manual Nutrition Training Handouts