Partnerships among academic and public health institutions provide a means of integrating varied strengths to improve the knowledge and skills of future health professionals. At present, public health nursing students have limited exposure to environmental health content in the curriculum, and few environmental health field experiences. The need for knowledge and skill in this area has been identified by the Institute of Medicine, and championed by leaders in the profession. As the largest group of health providers, nurses must be knowledgeable about environmental hazards and their impact on health, the means of exposure, and prevention and control strategies (IOM, 1995). George Washington University School of Public Health, Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, and the Arlington County Department of Human Services worked together on this HRSA/ASPH funded project to design, implement, and evaluate an environmental health focus within the clinical component of a required public health nursing course. Prior collaboration in the Arlington Community Environmental Health Assessment provided the foundation for the partnership, as well as the identification of community priorities in environmental health. Students participated in specialized educational sessions and field experiences, collaborated with community groups, environmental health specialists, and educators from both universities, conducted a targeted community assessment, provided committee leadership for county-wide Public Health Week outreach celebrations, and implemented a variety of health promotion and disease prevention activities during the course of this project. Evaluation measures illustrated the strengths and weaknesses of the project.
Learning Objectives: Following the session on "Collaborating to enhance environmental health knowledge and experience among Baccalaureate nursing students", the participants will be able to: 1. Articulate the facilitators and challenges to a successful collaboration; 2. Discuss the role of multiorganizational and interdisciplinary partnerships in public health education of nurses and other health professionals; 3. Identify potential partners for collaboration
Keywords: Environmental Health, Partnerships
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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.