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

Abstract #104895

Sue Ann Sarpy, PhD, Dept. Env. Health Sciences, South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1430 Tulane Avenue, SL29, New Orleans, LA 70112, 504-988-7150, ssarpy@tulane.edu

The South Central Public Health Training Center (SCPHTC) at Tulane University supports the goal of training the public health workforce in environmental health and recently expanded its capacity to educate the nursing workforce in environmental health principles. That is, a course entitled Health Risk Assessment and Taking an Exposure History, emphasizing the four basic environmental health competencies for nurses outlined in the 1995 Institute of Medicine report,¹ was developed and delivered. The present study is a one year follow-up evaluation of those completing the course to assess impact of the training on subsequent job performance. More specifically, the evaluation was designed to provide information regarding extent to which the knowledge, skills, and abilities learned transfer to improved job performance of public health nurses. A competency-based questionnaire was developed to gather both quantitative (e.g., performance ratings) and qualitative (e.g., explanations of changes in on-the-job behavior) data regarding workplace behaviors. One hundred eighteen public health nurses who completed the training were surveyed. Results of the evaluation revealed that successful completion of the Health Risk Assessment and Taking an Exposure History course led to enhanced job performance with respect to many environmental health issues confronted by public health professionals. Both the quantitative and qualitative data support this assertion. Results of the evaluation are discussed with respect to the effectiveness of the approach used by the SCPHTC to provide competency-related training in environmental health topics and build capacity of public health practitioners in environmental health. References Institute of Medicine. Nursing, health and the environment: Strengthening the relationship to improve the public's health. Washington: National Academy Press; 1995.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Describe the relevance and method used to develop and deliver the competency-based environmental health course to public health nurses.
• 2. Describe the evaluation process used to examine the impact of the training with respect to changes in public health nurses’ on-the-job behaviors.
• 3. Discuss the implications of these results in designing, implementing, and evaluating training to build capacity of public health nurses in environmental health.

Keywords: Public Health Nursing, Environmental Health

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.