DISTANCE EDUCATION AND CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

DISTANCE EDUCATION IN THE WORKPLACE

MARION STEWART

UHI Millennium Institute

IDENTIFIED NEED FOR INFECTION CONTROL EDUCATION

• Scottish Infection Manual

• NBS/SCIEH report on infection control educational opportunities for health care professionals in Scotland

EDUCATION/TRAINING NEEDED FOR NHS AND NON-NHS STAFF

• All grades and all disciplines:– Porters, auxiliaries, laundry staff, domestic staff– Students – nurses, doctors, others– Qualified staff– Continuing post-registration education– Infection control-link nurses– Induction– Post-graduate/specialist– Non-NHS staff eg social services,schools,rescue services

• Existing provision inadequate

SCOTTISH CENTRE FOR INFECTION AND

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH(SCIEH)

• Based in Glasgow• Multidisciplinary organisation• Scottish national resource of information

and expertise• Role in providing education for healthcare

professionals, local authority personnel and others

SCIEH IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR DISTANCE LEARNING

OPPORTUNITIES

• OU approached but time estimate too long• UHI approached

– to take project forward at greater speed

– to take advantage of new technologies and educational methods

• Grant was secured from the Scottish Executive’s Primary Care Development Fund1999/2000

INTENTION

• To develop and deliver a package/course which will raise awareness of the problems associated with infection in hospitals and in the community, to enable people to deal with them safely

• To ensure that such a course consists of various modules suitable for the further education and training of all grades of health care workers, environmental health workers, public service workers, and their managers

•  To ensure that the modules which are developed are based on the most up-to-date scientific evidence related to the control of infection and environmental hazards in Scotland and include current legal requirements related to their management

AIMS IDENTIFIED BY COURSE TEAM

• The range of courses has been designed to enhance the ability of participants to deal safely, effectively, and economically with the infection related problems that they may encounter in their professional practice 

• All courses are work based, so that the student learns the principles and applies them in the workplace. Local policies are used throughout, and the tutors are specialists and active in their field.

PROPOSED EDUCATION PACKAGE

• MSc Infection Control

• Undergraduate levels 1and 3

• Basic Introduction

MSc Infection Control (MSc IC)

   • Infection Control Specialists and others who need

specialist knowledge of all aspects of infection control • 8 modules and a dissertation•  Core and option modules•  Module leaders have been selected because of their

expertise in the subject area•  On – line with e-mail, discussions and tutorials•  Multidisciplinary – encourages effective liaison between

professional groups

RECENT REPORTS AND INITIATIVES

• The Carey Report – ‘Managing the Risk of Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI)’ 2001

• Clinical Standards Board for Scotland Standards – Infection Control 2001

• The Watt Group Report 2002• Scottish Executive’s Action Plan to reduce the risk to

patients, staff and visitors from HAI 2002-2005 Proposal to have ‘infection control champions’ (specific ward based staff with a special interest in HAI and hygiene)

WHAT NEXT?

• Continuation of the MSc Infection Control

• ‘Piloting’ the two undergraduate modules

• Tailoring the undergraduate modules for other groups

• Development of the Basic package

DISTANCE EDUCATION AND CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

DISTANCE EDUCATION IN THE WORKPLACE

FIONA SKINNER

UHI Millennium Institute

UHI Millennium Institute:Principles relevant to the MSc IC

• Widen access to high quality tertiary education

• Increase participation rates through new approaches to learning and teaching making the most of the new information and communication technologies

UNDERPINNING PHILOSOPHY OF THE MSc INFECTION CONTROL

• The approaches correspond to those which participants will be encouraged to utilise in their own professional practice

• The approaches will enable participants to take responsibility for their learning and to develop the skills and analytic frameworks that facilitate their CPD

• The learning process should provide opportunities for experiential learning and for comparing professional practice in different contexts

• It will allow further, continuing and higher education to be studied and thus promotes a culture of life-long learning.

TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

• Should relate to those which the participants will be encouraged to use in their own professional practice

• Professional development within infection control has obvious implications for practice

• The learning environment enables participants to:– Reflect on their own practice– Critically analyse and challenge assumptions underlying their professional

practice– Contextualise their understanding

• Majority of course team members are actively undertaking research and are all keeping up to date with infection control as part of their CPD

• The MSc IC will be delivered through distance learning strategies – online.

ONLINE

• WebCT

• Learning material online

• Communications – how?:

– Discussion board

– Email

– Chatrooms

• Communications – with whom?:– Other students

– Tutors

– Mentor

– Course Leader

PROCESS TO VALIDATION

• Core team• Framework• Market research• Head hunt module leaders• Create ‘team’• Staff development:

– Teaching and learning– Online

• First 2 modules ready online

FIRST YEAR OF DELIVERY ISSUES

• INDUCTION

• SEMESTER 1

• SEMESTER 2

SECOND YEAR OF DELIVERYISSUES

• Wider audience• Increase number of tutors• Maintain staff development• Change role of mentors• CDROMs• Week zero• Other

WAY FORWARD

• Course Planning Team• Revalidation• Approval/accreditation by relevant bodies• Develop new modules for options• In-house expert• Increase numbers, widen market• Continually strive for a quality product and

experience for all those involved