245448 Knowledge Network: Essential knowledge for environmental health in nursing practice

Monday, October 31, 2011: 10:50 AM

Jeanne M. Leffers, PhD, RN , Community Nursing, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
Claudia Smith, MPH, PhD, RN , School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
     
Environmental health is essential to public health nursing. Consequently, the public health workforce and public health nursing educators often seek readily accessible, current information to build knowledge of environmental health issues. Launched in 2008, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, (ANHE) Education Workgroup developed the Knowledge Network, an innovative, interactive learning resource for all nurses. Building upon the ANHE Competencies developed in 2009 and responding to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Baccalaureate Essentials for Nursing Education (2008), ANHE created an essential resource that is available online, with free use for nurses in practice and for nursing students. This presentation will first highlight the ANHE Competencies for nursing practice and Standard 16 Environmental Health from the latest publication of the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice: Nursing (2010) that was developed in collaboration with ANHE. Next, we offer strategies from the Knowledge Network Essentials that can be used in formal academic education of new nurses and in professional development for practicing nurses. Innovative features of the Knowledge Network include the essential content typically published in a textbook on the subject, but also as a source for innovative teaching strategies for environmental health nursing, as well as a social network to engage nurses in environmental heath nursing education, practice, research and advocacy.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related nursing

Learning Objectives:
1. Discuss the environmental health nursing competencies for practice. 2. Identify 3 educational features of the Knowledge Network to achieve competency in environmental health.

Keywords: Environmental Health, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a community/public health nursing educator with more than 25 years of experience and one of the co-editors of the Knowledge Network
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Environmental and occupational health: building sustainable environments
See more of: Public Health Nursing