skills online:public health professional development for the north
TRANSCRIPT
Skills Online:Public Health Professional Development for the North
NAHO Conference: Our People, Our Health
Ottawa, November 2009
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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
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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)
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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
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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
2222
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 [email protected]
Marnie Bell, Northern Coordinator
Jamie Rossiter,
E- Learning Advisor
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