Background Curriculum Development Team Organization of Curriculum Content Background In its 1995 report entitled Nursing, Health and the Environment, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences identified "a fundamental need for the entire nursing community to develop a greater understanding of environmental health hazards and the skills needed to incorporate environmental health into practice." (IOM, p. 4) In response to these concerns, faculty from the University of Maryland School of Nursing and Howard University School of Nursing presented Faculty Development in Environmental Health workshops in six locations throughout the southern United States in 1999 and 2000. This project was Funded by a grant from the Kellogg Foundation and was undertaken in collaboration with the Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing (CCEN, an affiliate of the Southern Regional Education Board) and the National League for Nursing (NLN). This curriculum builds on the foundation created by those seminars. The objective is to provide faculty in undergraduate nursing education with immediately applicable environmental health content that can be inserted in multiple places throughout the nursing curriculum. Return to top Curriculum Development Team Based on the foundation provided by the faculty workshops, this curriculum has been developed by faculty and staff from the Environmental Health Education Center at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Barbara Sattler, DrPH, RN, Research Associate Professor, is the Director of the Environmental Health Education Center. She is a project coordinator on the Kellogg grant and a member of the faculty of the workshops. This curriculum project was conducted under her direction. Barb can be contacted at bsattler@son.umaryland.edu, or 410-706-1849. Melissa Melum, RN, BSN, Project Coordinator, designed and developed the curriculum materials. Melissa holds a BSN from the University of Maryland and is currently enrolled in the graduate program in Environmental Biology at Hood College. She can be contacted at: melum@son.umaryland.edu, or 410-706-4802. Kathleen McPhaul, RN, MPH, designed and developed the EnviRN website. Kate is a doctoral student and occupational health nurse researcher at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She can be contacted at mcphaul@son.umaryland.edu or 410-706-4907. Return to top Organization of Curriculum This curriculum provides faculty with resources for teaching environmental health to undergraduate nursing students in the broad areas of Basic Knowledge and Concepts and Community Health Practice. The Basic Knowledge and Concepts content consists of lecture materials, and the Community Health Practice sections primarily consist of community health practicum projects. The curriculum is organized around the four General Environmental Health Competencies for Nurses that are delineated in the Institute of Medicine's Nursing, Health and the Environment report (p. 5), with emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. These competencies are: Basic Knowledge and Concepts; Assessment and Referral; Advocacy, Ethics and Risk Communication; and Legislation and Regulation. Basic Knowledge and Concepts (Modules One and Two) Each module in this section provides a full set of resources for a lecture that addresses basic knowledge and concepts related to environmental health. Each module consists of: - Powerpoint Presentation with speaker notes.
- Lecture Notes: For faculty who prefer not to lecture from powerpoint slides and speaker notes, this document provides all of the material from the powerpoint presentation, with space for additional notations following the content for each slide. Note: This is a pdf file; Adobe Acrobat required.
- Lecture Resource: This electronic document provides links to internet sites that provide faculty with additional background information on specific topics in the lectures.
- Resource Handout: The powerpoint presentation includes slides with resources for student use for further exploration of each subject. For faculty who choose not to use powerpoint handouts, this resource handout can be printed and photocopied for distribution to students. Note: This is a pdf file; Adobe Acrobat required.
Click here for a topical outline of modules and links to these resources. Community Health Practice: Assessment, Education and Referral (Modules Three - Five) Each module in this section provides a full set of resources for a student activity in community health. Modules 3 and 4 each consist of: - Community Health Project Guidelines: This document is intended to be distributed to students as a guide for a community health practicum assignment. Using the nursing process and the resources described below, students are guided in assessing environmental health hazards in a specific setting and developing an educational intervention in response to their assessment. Note: This is a pdf file; Adobe Acrobat required.
- Environmental Health Assessment Guide: This is a checklist for use in conducting on-site "walk-through" or "windshield" assessments and interviews to identify environmental health hazards in a particular population or setting. Note: This is a pdf file; Adobe Acrobat required.
- Environmental Health Assessment Resource: This electronic resource provides links to web pages that provide information for evaluating findings and planning interventions in response to the environmental health assessment. It is designed for use in conjunction with the Environmental Health Assessment Guide.
Module 5 consists of case studies which illustrate community-focused environmental health issues. Each case study guides students in assessing potential health risks and developing an informational intervention in the form of a written report to the community. Electronic resources to support this activity are provided. Note: These are pdf files; Adobe Acrobat required. Click here for a topical outline of modules and links to these resources. and regulation) Community Health Practice: Advocacy, ethics, and risk communication (including knowledge of legislation Modules 6 and 7 provide guidelines and resources for student class presentation projects designed to introduce students to skills in advocacy and risk communication. Content incorporates ethical issues, as well as legislation and regulation. Note: These are pdf files; Adobe Acrobat required. Content Basic Knowledge and Concepts Module One : Basic Concepts in Environmental Health and ToxicologyoPowerpoint Presentation - Powerpoint Presentation (Note: Will open in "view slides only" format in some browsers. To download entire file, right click and select "save target as...")
- Lecture Notes (pdf file; requires Adobe Acrobat...click here to download)
- Lecture Resource for faculty (internet links specific to lecture content)
- Handout for students (pdf file; requires Adobe Acrobat...click here to download)
Module Two : Comparison of Pharmacology and Toxicology - Powerpoint Presentation (Note: Will open in "view slides only" format in some browsers. To download entire file, right click and select "save target as...")
- Lecture Notes (pdf file; requires Adobe Acrobat...click here to download)
- Lecture Resource for faculty (internet links specific to lecture content)
- Handout for students (pdf file; requires Adobe Acrobat...click here to download)
Community Health Practice: Assessment, Referral and Education Module Three: Environmental Health Assessment of a Home and Family Module Four : Environmental Health Assessment of a Community Module Five: Case Studies (pdf files; require Adobe Acrobat...click here to download) Community Health Practice: Advocacy, Ethics and Risk Communication (including legislation and regulation) Module Six: Mock Public Hearing (pdf file; requires Adobe Acrobat...click here to download) Module Seven: Town Meeting Class Presentations (pdf file; requires Adobe Acrobat...click here to download) Resource: Pope, A.M., Snyder, M.A., and Mood, L.H. (eds). 1995. Nursing, Health and the Environment. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. (available on line at www.nap.edu) | 
