*This is a partnership post sharing some resources I have found very helpful*
I am an ex nurse. I trained as a Pediatric nurse, and then worked at a children’s hospital, before moving into community nursing working with children with special needs. I currently don’t practice as a nurse, but I do work with families in the community, where some of my old nursing skills and education is still used. I meet and deal with families and children from a wide variety of backgrounds and in my time have supported parents and carers as they deal with all sorts of common and not so common childhood issues and conditions.
I have sent parents to A&E to get their kids checked for concussion, dislocated elbows and bad wounds that need some attention and wound glue. I have diagnosed chickenpox, slapped cheek, hand, foot and mouth disease, impetigo and many other common childhood illnesses. I have given advice on dealing with the stomach bug, fevers, rashes, and seen more cases of head-lice and commiserated with parents on how to deal with it, than I can count.
For me, being able to give correct and accurate, up to date information and advice is vital so HPA – The Health Professional Academy is an excellent resource for me, to make sure that I know the latest information, that I can then share when needed. I always make sure the parents know they need to seek medical advice and support, but if I can back up what I am saying with correct details, then it means that I am guiding them to the right course of action.
The Health Professional Academy is a free online learning channel from Lifecycle Marketing, the publishers of Emma’s Diary and parenting website, Families. We’ve been a trusted partner in healthcare education for more than 26 years, working alongside professional health bodies and Royal Colleges. The information we provide is both up to date and in line with NHS and BFI guidelines. We follow the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative and recommend exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of six months).
Our eLearning courses offer a range of relevant antenatal, postnatal and paediatric education, grouped into three areas: Mum & Baby, Child Health and Pharmacy.
Information you can trust
All our online CPD modules are developed in partnership with a team of leading academics, so you can be sure the module you’ve chosen is credible, referenced and up to date. Information is in line with guidance from the NHS, NICE and Royal Colleges, as well as Unicef’s Baby Friendly Initiative.
Designed to fit around your busy schedule
We understand the challenges of keeping pace with developments in your field alongside the demands of your daily work. That’s why our modules are available online 24-7 and are compatible across all mobile devices, so you can learn on the move.
Each module is available in printed format or online, so you can choose whichever works best for you. Once you’ve completed a module, simply download your CPD certificate.
At no cost to you
Thanks to sponsorship from carefully selected health and pharmaceutical brands, we’re able to provide these online CPD modules to you free of charge.
I know from my own experience, as a mum of two kids, who has also worked as a nanny and in childcare as well as having been a nurse that parenting can be fraught with anxiety. When your little one has a weird rash or a fever that seems to have appeared for no reason, or head-lice that they have picked up from nursery AGAIN, or might have been exposed to chickenpox, it can be worrying and frustrating. Being able to know you can sound off to someone who is a parent but also can point you in the right direction for the help you might need is reassuring. I know how helpful it can be to have someone who has “been there and done that” or has parenting or childcare experience, give you some calm perspective and help you.
I may not be dishing out Calpol in A&E or teaching parents how to use a feeding tube any more, but I am still working closely with families, so keeping up to date, to give them safe and accurate information, is really important. Health Academy is an excellent resource for me, and it’s easy to use, and also doesn’t cost anything to use, which is very handy. I find the Free CPD modules and online resources for nursery nurses particularly useful, given the nature of the work I do and the ages of the children I meet.
Their modules are simple to access and navigate and give you the most up to date information and training on a whole plethora of baby and child issues that can crop up for families and professionals working with children in childcare or medical settings. It’s well worth adding to your list of educational resources, if like me you want the most up to date information that you can share with the families you work with.