skills online:public health professional development for the north

Skills Online:Public Health Professional Development for the North

NAHO Conference: Our People, Our Health

Ottawa, November 2009

2

Outline

• Overview – Skills Online & Capacity Building among First

Nations, Inuit and Métis

– Marnie Bell, Northern Coordinator, Skills Enhancement Program

• Pilot for Northern Aboriginal Workers

– Tom Axtell, National Coordinator, Naasautit, NAHO

• Discussion

– Jamie Rossiter, E-learning Advisor, Skills Enhancement Program

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The Need to Strengthen the Public Health Workforce

• Public health major

events

• Health disparities

(North & Aboriginal)

• Lack of workforce

capacity

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Skills Enhancement for Public Health

• Flagship programs:

– Core Competencies for

Public Health in Canada

– Skills Online

• Are these appropriate to

Canada’s North – Yukon,

Northwest Territories, Nunavut

and for First Nations, Inuit and

Métis learners?

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What is Skills Online?

• Internet-based continuing professional

development program for front line public

health practitioners

• Facilitated modules in English & French

• Offered at no cost to public health

professionals since 2002

• Over 3,500 individuals have completed one or

more modules

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Modules Available

• Principles of Epidemiology

• Surveillance Practice

• Application of Methods

• Biostatistics

• Public Health Practice

• + others under development

• For online demonstration - Visit PHAC Skills

Enhancement Exhibit Booth #4

Crowne Plaza, Grand Salon

Number of Learners Completing Skills Online Modules

Yukon, Nunavut and NWT, 2004 to Spring 2009

6 6

16

14

16

33

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year

Nu

mb

er

of

Learn

ers

Source: BCIT, Skills Online database, extracted Sept

2009

Focus Group: Skill Development of First Nations, Inuit and Métis for

Public Health

• Held in Yellowknife, July 11, 2009

• 17 participants – 2 discussion groups

• Topics:

– Assets and gaps in public health education &

training

– Approaches to strengthen capacity

– Identification of potential partners

Focus Group Findings

• FN/I/M development for public health – priority

for sustainability

• Professional & paraprofessional skills needed

• Consider diversity of culture, language, learning

style – adaptations and accommodations

• Build upon existing learning structures and tools

• Engagement and partnerships essential

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Adaptations of Skills Online Modules

• English-speaking Caribbean countries

– Public health professionals at a distance

– Similar learners, different culture

– Adapted through delivery and discussions

• Benefits of accessing high quality learning in

remote areas very compelling

“It’s the wave of the future. The less we have to dislocate

people from their settings to teach them something, the

better off we’ll be.”

- Caribbean participant

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Next Steps for First Nations, Inuit and

Métis Public Health Workers

• Paraprofessionals:

– Explore role of Aboriginal community health workers (e.g.

CHRs) in relation to core competencies for public health

– Assess learning needs of community health workers

– Work with partners to strengthen existing curricula

• Professionals:

– Explore further adaptations of Skills Online

– Work with partners to strengthen relevance and

appropriateness

– PHAC-NAHO Pilot Project in January 2010

– Visit PHAC Skills Enhancement Exhibit Booth for

information and to pre-register!

Pilot for Northern

Aboriginal Workers

Public Health ProfessionalDevelopment Online

NAHO Conference, Ottawa

Nov 24, 2009

Tom AxtellNaasautit: Inuit Health Statistics

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)Inuit Tuttarvingat (NAHO)

Nunavik Regional

Board of Health and

Social Services

Required health analysts to describe data

1515

Designed a small pilot project

1616

Employee-Learner Profile

• 2 years of college

• little or no previous public health education or

experience

• responsibility for public health information or

services

1717

Participation Rates

Fall 2008

• 3 Inuit enrolled (1 completed)

• 2 First Nations Nurses (1 completed)

Spring 2009

• 2 Inuit enrolled (2 completed EPI2)

• 3 non-Inuit enrolled (2 completed)

Fall 2009

• 1 Inuit enrolled (1 completed EPI3)

• 2 non-Inuit enrolled (1 completed)

1818

How did we do this?

• EPI 1 mentoring and tele-conference with an

Epidemiologist and co-workers

• organizational support from supervisors

• some had copies of the Dictionary of Epidemiology

1919

Learner’s experience

"... this course (EPI2) has given me the confidence to move

forward as a health data analyst“

• The newcomer to the field found it very challenging,

but very rewarding

• Was intimidated to post in the discussion forums because of the

experience gap with co-learners (i.e. nurses, managers)

• FN Nurse found it at the right level

• Those who did not complete had workplace and family issues

competing for their time

2020

Exchange between Learners in EPI1

2121

Learner Survey Findings (3 people)

• All want Northern First Nations/Inuit/Métis examples featured

in the readings/assignments

• All want their classmates to be from the North and a mixed

Inuit, First Nations and Métis group was acceptable to most

• 2/3 felt that the teleconferences provided an opportunity to

network

• 2/3 said that the teleconferences did not reduce feelings of

isolation

November 09

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Conclusion

• Naasautit and NAHO staff are among the many public

health workers in the Aboriginal public sector who do not

fit the mould of the traditional health professionals, but

who need the skills and knowledge

• Skills Online works fairly well the way it is

• Find ways to reduce feeling of isolation among learners

who are geographically dispersed

• Strengthen modules with more Northern and Aboriginal

content with facilitators from the North

Tom Axtell, National Coordinator

naasautit.ca taxtell@naho.ca

Marnie Bell, Northern Coordinator

marnie_bell@phac-aspc.gc.ca

Jamie Rossiter,

E- Learning Advisor

jamie_rossiter@phac-aspc.gc.ca

To pre-register for the January offering of

Skills Online for First Nations, Métis and Inuit

Community Health Workers

visit PHAC’s Skills Enhancement Exhibit Booth

or contact one of the presenters