Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107750

Lorraine K. Alexander, DrPH¹, Kathy Dail, RN, BSN, MEd², Mary Davis, DrPH, MSPH³, Aaron Kipp, BS¹, Anjum Hajat, MPH⁴, Jean-Marie Maillard, MD², Erin E. Rothney, MPH⁴, Jennifer Horney, MPH⁵, and Pia D.M. MacDonald, PhD, MPH¹. (1) Department of Epidemiology / North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 8165, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8165, (2) General Communicable Disease Control Branch, NC Division of Public Health / Epidemiology Section, 1902 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1902, (3) North Carolina Institute for Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 8165, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8165, (4) North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 8165, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8165, (5) North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, CB #8165 - 400 Roberson, Chape HIll, NC 27599, 919-843-5566, jen.horney@unc.edu

To meet the need for training in communicable disease surveillance and outbreak investigation by North Carolina public health nurses, a free 15-week hybrid Internet/classroom-based course was created by the General Communicable Disease Control Branch of the North Carolina Division of Public Health and the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness in the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health. The Internet-based Blackboard Learning System™ is used to deliver the first 14 weeks of course content, including narrated slide presentations and electronic activities. The course culminates in a 2-day classroom-based skills demonstration. The course was first offered as a pilot in 2004, with a cohort of 78 communicable disease nurses from 47 county health departments throughout North Carolina. This was the first Internet-based course for most participants. 44 participants completed the course in December 2004, and 43 completed course evaluations, which indicated statistically significant improvements in self-perceived confidence to perform competencies addressed by the course. 98% of completers (43) thought the course was excellent and 100% agreed they would recommend this course to others. The course is now offered twice a year, is free, and offers continuing education credits. The second cohort of nurses (N=59) enrolled in the course in February 2005. This course can serve as a successful model of using a combination of Internet and classroom instruction to deliver training to public health professionals in the US and illustrate a successful collaboration between a public health agency and academia.

Learning Objectives: At the completion of this presentation, learners will be able to

• Describe the methods used to implement the pilot communicable disease course for North Carolina public health nurses
• Identify results from evaluations of the pilot course and lessons learned
• Describe ongoing implementation methods for the current course

Keywords: Distance Learning, Communicable Disease

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.