Distance Learning for MCH nurses in rural southern New Jersey as a strategy to meet new licensing requirements

The Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative (SNJPC), a maternal-child health (MCH) consortium provides continuing education for MCH nurses as part of its charge.

SNJPC has utilized a traditional classroom approach to professional education but nurses find it difficult to take time away from their job and personal lives to attend. Nurse managers and MCH nursing directors requested that SNJPC explore ways to increase accessibility to professional education, especially in light of new mandatory continuing education requirements.

Teleconference technology was selected as a solution, based on cost and ability to conduct educational sessions during early morning and late night hours.

As with other programs, regional experts were recruited and asked to develop a 45 minute presentation based on material in selected March of Dimes Nursing Modules. “Attendees” were offered the Nursing Module for review and completion prior to the course. Each topic was offered on three different occasions, with times selected based on suggestions from nurses working various shifts. Nurses merely had to dial in to a conference call number to “attend”. Over 800 callers participated in 20 programs.

Participants did engage in discussion at the close of the presentation and reported accessibility and topic relevance to be particularly important. Faculty, initially leery of this method of delivery reported finding it easier and more rewarding than anticipated. Several calls were “attended” by entire unit staff, something impossible with other types of programming. Based on participant feedback the programs were a success.