New Pediatric Environmental Training Resource Available
Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 25, 2014 -- "Putting it into Practice" is a newly updated and exciting resource in pediatric environmental health education. In 1999, the Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN) published "Putting it into Practice" to help health care faculty incorporate pediatric environmental health into their coursework instruction. It proved to be a very popular resource, and as the burden of chronic disease among young children continues to increase in the United States, the need to continue educating future generations of health care professionals in pediatric environmental health remains great. This newly reviewed and updated resource incorporates the latest peer-reviewed science and includes topics not covered in the original resource.
Twelve, stand-alone slide PowerPoint modules and accompanying user guides cover environmental health hazards of concern, including pesticides, endocrine disrupting chemicals such as Bisphenol A and phthalates, solvents, lead, and other heavy metals. The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) contributed modules on the role of outdoor play in nature and children’s health, and on the environmental management of pediatric asthma.
Leyla McCurdy, Senior Director of Health and the Environment at NEEF, believes that, "The environmental health tools and resources provided in these modules can be easily integrated into the medical and nursing curricula, as well as clinical practice.” Editor-in-Chief, James R. Roberts, further elaborated on the training manual, “This set of modules puts ready-to-use material directly into the hands of pediatric environmental health educators.”
Modules addressing the importance of taking a developmental approach to pediatric environmental health, of pediatric environmental history taking, and of advocacy are also provided. Each slide-set module is designed to take approximately one-hour for an instructor to present in class, noon conference, or during grand rounds. The user guides provide talking points for some slides, as well as discussion questions, suggested assignments, key resources, and other tips to aid instruction. Educating future clinicians and health care professionals about pediatric environmental health issues is an important part of public health efforts to reverse the current trend, indicating that today’s children are on course to have shorter life-spans than their parents. "Putting it into Practice" is a valuable resource to aid in these efforts.
CEHN is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit whose mission is to protect the developing child from environmental health hazards and promote a healthier environment. "Putting it into Practice" was researched, written, and revised by leading experts in the field of pediatric environmental health, and was funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. For more information and to download the training resource, visit: http://www.cehn.org/resources/HealthCareProfessionals/PediatricTrainingResource.
Kristie Trousdale, Children’s Environmental Health Network, +1 (202) 543-4033 Ext: 10, [email protected]
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