Recorded presentation

Angela Beck, MPH, CHES, Center for Public Health, Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 9-105, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-443-3460, abeck@hrsa.gov, Barry Stern, MPH, Area Health Education Center Branch, Bureau of Health Professions, Room 8-103, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Patricia Butterfield, PhD, RN, School of Nursing, Dept of Psychosocial and Community Health, University of Washington, Box 357263, Seattle, WA 98195, Beth F. Lamanna, WHNP, MPH, RN, Dep. of Community Health, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7460, Carrington Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460, and Barbara Quiram, PhD, School of Rural Public Health, 3000 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 310, Bryan, TX 77802.

The Public Health Training Center (PHTC) network, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), receives annual supplemental funding from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to support environmental health knowledge, skills, and awareness among nurses who serve individuals and communities. Nurses are invaluable resources for reaching the public about environmental health issues, and they are often the critical first line of defense. They have the credibility and access that enables them to provide scientifically sound information about environmental issues and toxic exposures. However, nursing education typically includes few if any courses on the environment as it relates to health.

The fourteen PHTCs have been charged with addressing this training concern by developing, administering, and evaluating training modules and courses targeted to the public health nursing workforce, utilizing training materials provided by ATSDR. Trainings range from general environmental health introductory courses to more advanced topical trainings; from food borne illness and lead poisoning to occupational health exposures. Since 2002, over 5,500 nurses and other health professionals have been trained nationwide as a result of this initiative.

In this scientific session, a HRSA representative and a three PHTC project staff panelists will discuss best practices and barriers to developing and implementing training. Different methods and delivery modes for training will be discussed, as well as project successes and lessons learned.

Learning Objectives: As a result of this session participants will be able to

• Recognize nurses as critical resources in responding to environmental health concerns;
• Discuss methods PHTCs use to develop, implement, and evaluate environmental health trainings for public health nurses;
• Articulate barriers to providing training for public health nurses encountered by PHTCs.

Keywords: Training, Environmental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation