UNC School of Public Health - Pediatric Nutrition Course, Module 1: Nutrition Assessment

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Pediatric Nutrition Course, Module 1

Office of Continuing Education

Pediatric Nutrition Course, Module 1: Nutrition Assessment

February 14 - April 20, 2012

As of Monday, January 23rd, there are still spaces available in this course for NC residents.

Needs and Target Audience
Format
Dates and Location
Overview of Module 1
Sponsors
System Requirements
Online Skills Test
Fees
Continuing Education Credits
Enrollment
For More Information

Needs and Target Audience

Public health nutritionists and other dietetic professionals have an important impact on the health of future generations. The goal of this course is to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to improve the nutritional health of the pediatric population. To that end, this course will guide you through the nutrition care process with an emphasis in nutrition assessment that is based on the needs of individual clients and their families. The course is designed to improve your nutrition assessment and counseling skills for infants, toddlers, children, and adolescents.

Module 1 of the Pediatric Nutrition Course is an online course designed for public health nutritionists and other dietetic professionals working in Local Health Agencies throughout North Carolina. It is ideal for new employees in public health nutrition, nutritionists who are new to pediatrics, and those who want to broaden their pediatric knowledge base.

Format

This course offers you a unique opportunity to learn at your own pace without having to travel to an off-site location in pursuit of quality continuing education. You will be given a period of three months to complete Module 1 of the Pediatric Nutrition Course. An instructor will guide your learning and facilitate a combination of individual, self-paced study and online group discussions , where you will gain access to important resources, and enhance your current nutrition assessment, intervention, education, and counseling skills. Completion of this course will take approximately 2.5 hours per week and varies by student. Please note that successful completion often requires working on the course during personal time.

A variety of methods and media are used in the course, such as synchronized audio/slide presentations, case studies, discussion, and handouts. Multiple learning activities in each unit target the important skills you will need to advance your practice in pediatric nutrition. Students will interact with the instructor and other students via email and discussion board activities. Additionally, because the course was developed by the Nutrition Services Branch in the North Carolina Division of Public Health, you will have access to the Branch's own public health nutritionists and learn more about the many resources that exist on the state level to assist you with providing quality nutrition services. For more information about the course's technical requirements, please review the "System Requirements" section below. Technical support will be provided to students during the course.

Dates and Location

The course will run from February 14-April 20, 2012 and is completely online. An orientation webinar to provide an overview and demo of the online course has been scheduled with registered students for Tuesday, February 7 at 11:00 am ET. This "live" orientation webinar will be recorded for those who are unable to attend. There are no other required meeting dates or times. More information about the orientation webinar will be emailed to you upon your acceptance into the course.

Overview of Module 1: Nutrition Assessment

Module 1 is designed to improve skills specifically in the area of nutrition assessment, and to build competence in obtaining and evaluating indicators of nutritional status within the pediatric population which include anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, dietary, ecosocial and psychosocial data and factors.

The module consists of the following six units:

Unit 1: Anthropometrics: A review of anthropometric techniques and the nutritional implications of abnormal growth.
Unit 2: Biochemical: Nutritional implications of laboratory indices in the blood, urine, and stool, focusing on commonly encountered biochemical measurements.
Unit 3: Clinical: Nutritional implications of clinical findings including health history, physical observations, sexual maturity ratings, and developmental screening data.
Unit 4: Food and Nutrition History: Review of established guidelines for evaluating intake inadequacies or excesses.
Unit 5: Ecosocial Factors: An analysis of environmental factors that may contribute to nutritional risk.
Unit 6: Psychosocial Factors: Identification of eating cues, cultural and ethnic influences and analyses of parent-child interactions.

System Requirements

In order to successfully complete the module, the computer equipment used should meet the following minimum hardware and software requirements:

1 GHz processor or better
256 MB or more of RAM
20 GB free on the hard disk
56 Kbps or better modem, cable, or LAN connection to the Internet
16-bit or better sound card and speakers
15-inch color monitor or larger
65,000-color or better video display card
Windows XP or 2000
Mozilla/Firefox 3x or later or Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher (both free)
Adobe Reader 8.0 or later (free)
Adobe Flash Player 9.0 or later (free)

Online Skills Test

To make sure you have the minimum system requirements for completing the module, complete the online skills test.

Fees

The course fee is $50 for public health nutrition personnel in North Carolina Local Health Agencies and pediatric nutritionists in Child Development Service Agencies and $100 for all others.

Continuing Education Credits

CPE Level 1 Training will be applied for from the Commission on Dietetic Registration for registered dietitians and dietetic technicians, registered. For those not eligible for CPE credit, continuing education units will be applied for from the Friday Center for Continuing Education at The University of North Carolina a Chapel Hill.

Enrollment

As of Monday, January 23rd, there are still spaces available in this course for NC residents.

Enrollment in this course is a two step process:

Complete the online application form (applications are not being accepted at this time).
Once your application has been received and reviewed, you will be invited to register. Information about how to register will be emailed to you upon your acceptance into the course.

You must complete both steps in order to enroll in this course.

Total enrollment in this course is limited. Preference is given to nutritionists who work in North Carolina Children's Developmental Services Agencies (CDSAs) and a limited number of spots are available to others. As of Monday, January 23rd, there are still spaces available in this course for NC residents.

For more information

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Cherelle Whitfield by email at cwwhitfi@email.unc.edu or phone at 919-843-9262 or Jennifer Gallagher, Project Manager, Pediatric Nutrition Course by email at jennifer.gallagher@dhhs.nc.gov.

Last updated February 14, 2012