The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s (UNMC) College of Public Health will launch its second massive open online course (MOOC), High Level Biocontainment for Healthcare Facilities.
During the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, UNMC along with their clinical partner Nebraska Medicine, was recognized as a national asset based on their “gold standard” for safety protocols and treatment of patients infected with the Ebola virus while overseas. To strengthen the nation’s capability to respond to highly infectious diseases, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services named ten Regional Ebola Treatment Centers. UNMC/Nebraska Medicine is one of three original centers.
UNMC is now offering a free online course on the Coursera platform, High Level Biocontainment for Healthcare. The 4-week, self-study course provides health professionals in any facility with the knowledge and skills to effectively and safely care for patients infected with a pathogen that requires high-level biocontainment.
At the end of this course students will be able to:
- Describe the basic tenets of infectious disease transmission and containment.
- Make informed decisions on intake screening, patient placement, treatment and environmental decontamination protocols for patients requiring high level biocontainment.
- List the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended in the care of patients requiring high-level biocontainment, including the procedure of donning and doffing.
The course, led by Dr. Sharon Medcalf, Assistant Professor and Director for the Center for Biosecurity, Biopreparedness and Emerging Infections Diseases contains four different modules ranging from infection control basics to the proper use of PPE to strategies for infectious disease containment in the healthcare setting.
Participants will be exposed to a wide variety of information so they leave the session feeling confident caring for patients who require a high level of biocontainment regardless of the infectious disease. A special focus is given to those administering care to ensure they are following the safest protocols to protect themselves, other patients in their facility and their surrounding community.
The course begins October 3, 2016. After the initial course starts, enrollment becomes open all year, with new cohorts starting every four weeks. Participants are encourage to complete self-paced modules to take full advantage of the information provided.
The course is available through the UNMC’s College of Public Health which offers six online programs in the field of public health, including:
- Master of Science in Emergency Preparedness
- Master of Public Health in Biostatistics
- Master of Public Health in Environmental and Occupational Health
- Master of Public Health in Epidemiology
- Master of Public Health in Health Promotion
- Master of Public Health in Health Services Administration & Policy
- Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health
- Professional Certificate in Maternal and Child Health
- Professional Certificate in Public Health
- Professional Certificate in Emergency Preparedness
The University of Nebraska offers more than 125 online and blended degree, certificate and endorsement programs in 16 fields of study, offered by the four campuses of the University of Nebraska. The University of Nebraska Online is NU’s university-wide distance education initiative, providing access to these programs at online.nebraska.edu. The university has made it a primary goal to continue expanding its online programs in order to meet the needs of students and help build a skilled workforce for Nebraska and beyond.