How do you make sure that peers are integrated into the health care team?

Sometimes skepticism about peers can occur among members of a health care team. However, peers need to feel valued and respected for what they bring to an organization. For this reason, it is important to take steps to integrate peers into the team. Obtaining staff buy-in prior to bringing a peer on board is crucial. One way to encourage this is by asking for staff input when defining the role of the peer in the organization. Good supervision and training of peers is also key to their success on the health care team.

More information:

• Organizational Readiness (PDF), part of the Building Blocks to Peer Program Success toolkit for developing HIV peer programs, contains information about identifying stakeholders who should be involved in planning a peer program.
• Read More: Orienting Non-Peer Employees on Peer Support, Philosophy and Program Models (PDF) in the Recruiting, Hiring and Orienting Peers section of the Building Blocks to Peer Program Success toolkit for developing HIV peer programs

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