Regarding The Population Health Online Course for Public Health Nurses

What is the Population Health Online Course?
This course is designed to develop and/or revitalize skills essential to population-focused practice. Emphasis is on the following areas: community health assessments and diagnosis, interpreting and presenting health information to local leaders, using computer technology in the health planning and policy development process, building and sustaining community coalitions.

Who should take this course?
All public health nurses (PHNs) who are interested in strengthening their knowledge and skills relative to population health should take this course.

Will this course transfer to other schools?
Course credit may be transferred to other schools. It is, however, up to each school to determine how the course will transfer (e.g. as an elective or a course within the major).

Will this course count toward the requirement for the BSN or Master's Degree?
The 19 schools surveyed responded that each would either offer the course or recognize the course for transfer credit at the baccalaureate level. Some schools may recognize the course for graduate credit. It is up to each school to determine what will or will not transfer to meet specific requirements. If taken for graduate credit, there may be additional course expectations.

What schools in Georgia offer this course?
The following schools offer the Georgia Southwestern State University, Georgia Southern University, State University of West Georgia, and Thomas University. The course is offered during fall, spring and some summer semesters.

How do we identify PHNs to take the course?
As part of the Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement for Public Health Nursing Practice reviews, a population health training plan should be made for each health department site. The training plan should include an assessment and plan of the training needs of the nursing staff regarding population health practice for the next three to five years. The plans should include the identification of PHNs to enroll in the course.

How much time does the course take?
The amount of time the course takes per week varies from individual to individual. Surveys of past students have indicated a range of 5-20 hours per week.

Each college that is teaching the course will use some different methods, even though we will try and keep as much consistency as we can. Students need to remember that this course, in most cases, is a senior level college course for credit, so there definitely will be assignments and requirements that take time and research.

Because it's a for credit course, it will not be like taking a continuing education course. On the average if you are taking a college course that lasts the whole semester, it will take approximately 9 hours per week depending once again on your own educational learning skills. If you've been out of higher education for a while, it will probably take you longer at first than a student who recently has taken college credit courses.

Will I get work time to take the course?
This is to be decided by your supervisor. It is highly recommended that some work time be allowed for logging on to the course, reading, and completing course assignments. It is recommended that you and your supervisor discuss this and make plans for time prior to applying to the course.

What are the costs associated with the course?
Costs include participants' time, time away from other work duties, transcript fees, application fee, course tuition and books. The Division of Public Health (DPH) will pay for tuition and two of the three required textbooks for the course, contingent upon available funds. Participants and/or their worksite are responsible for the other costs.

Tuition will be determined by each school offering the course. For most schools, it is estimated that tuition will range between $400 and $515.

Who will pay the tuition?
DHR and Division of Public Health programs have and will cover all tuition expenses.

Is this course standardized?
Yes, this course will be consistent in objectives and content regardless of where it is offered. Each school offering the course develops their syllabus based on the population health syllabus guidelines. However, there could be slight variations in credit hours and the course assignments.

Is Board of Regents approval needed?
The course must be approved by the nursing faculty and whatever other mechanisms are in place on specific campuses; however, Board of Regents approval is not required.

How will this course be taught?
This course has been designed to be taught in an online format to meet the needs of public health nurses in the state. In most cases, there will be no need for the student to go to campus.

What is the registration process?
Students will need to first apply to the Georgia Department of Public Health (DCH), by completing the DHR application and computer skills survey. Once a student is approved by DHR, there will be instructions about completing the application process for the assigned school of nursing.

Will technical support be available?
Technical assistance will be available through the Academic Coordinator, Dr. Beverly Farnsworth and through each of the schools offering the course. Dr. Farnsworth will review the computer skills surveys of each of the applicants to determine the need for a computer orientation prior to the course beginning. She will meet with students at their workplace to provide an individualized computer orientation. She will also be available as a technical assistance resource throughout the course. Students may contact her at bfarnswo@kennesaw.edu for more information.

Could this course be used to prepare school nurses?
By design, this course is a broadly focused population health course. It is not designed to focus on any particular population. The information contained in the course, however, would be very useful to school nurses.

Is there a clinical application?
While this is not a clinical course, it does require an applied learning project. The learning project will concentrate on building population focused competencies with emphasis on the following:

• Community Health Assessment and Diagnosis
• Interpreting and Presenting Health Information to Local Leaders
• Using Computer Technology in the Health Planning and Policy Development Process
• Building and Sustaining Community Coalitions and Partnerships

Where would credit be granted?
The school offering the course grants the credit.

Is this course different from Community Health Nursing (CHN) courses already taught at most schools of nursing?
Some of the content may be similar to the currently taught CHN courses, however the overall focus will be on population health practice. The clinical application of this course will be different because it will concentrate on current population-focused competencies for public health practice.

How can we use this course to draw public health nurses back to school?
This is an opportunity for PHNs to enhance their skills for a stronger role in population-focused practice. It is expected that going to school to take this course will increase the interest in completing the requirements for a BSN or higher degree.

What do schools think about offering this as a nursing elective?
The majority of schools responding to the survey indicated that they would accept the course as an elective.

What are the desired outcomes for the course?
The student who completes this course will show evidence of beginning skills in population-focused competencies, which may be applied to their public health practice, with emphasis on the following:

• Community Health Assessment and Diagnosis.
• Interpreting and Presenting Health Information to Local Leaders.
• Using Computer Technology in the Health Planning and Policy Development Process.
• Building and Sustaining Community Coalitions and Partnerships.

Will the mentors have access to the course materials and course content?
The mentors will receive a copy of the school syllabus and timeline. Mentors will also receive additional resource documents including a Mentor Reference Guide, the Health Indicator Chart, and Population Health web resources. All mentors will be invited to participate on a conference call at the beginning of the semester to review the role and expectations.

What is involved in taking a college credit course?
First of all you need to be accepted by the college. This involves getting previously acquired education validated. Valid transcripts sent from your former educational institutions usually take a long time. So you need to start early. All paperwork must be in order. After being accepted you will need to register for the classes. This is usually done over the Internet or by phone. Be prepared to stay on top of this process. If you're not registered at the college, you will not be able to take the course.

How do I know that online learning is for me?
Besides basic computer skills, you should consider your learning style. Online learning is very different from sitting in a classroom with a faculty member lecturing. Classroom learning is a more passive way to learn. In online learning, the students take a more active role. The faculty member creates the framework, but the student is doing the work of learning in a more active way. Therefore, it is helpful to be:

• Able to manage time well and learn to schedule time into your day to dedicate to the population health online class
• Self-motivated
• Self-disciplined and not procrastinate deadlines
• Able to enjoy reading and critical thinking
• Comfortable with email, computers, and new technologies
• Willing to share your educational experiences with others as part of the learning process.

What equipment do I need to take the course?
A computer with Internet Access is required to take the Population Health course. To get the most benefit from distance learning, it is ideal to have access to a computer at home. However, planning for enough time to use a computer with Internet access at your work place should be sufficient. In addition, nearly all public libraries have computers with Internet access.

What if I have trouble with my computer in the middle of the course?
Most online faculty know what it's like to experience technical problems. You need to let your faculty member know right away that you have a problem and how long you think it will take you to get it fixed. Most faculty will make allowances for these situations.

I believe I possess the right skills, but will there be anything else I need to know?
Besides the basic skills, each college has their own online course management system; it will be the responsibility of the faculty members to familiarize you to their system. This may be a short tutorial that you can complete on your own.

I have a computer but I don't have an Internet service provider or email. What should I do?
You will need both to take the course online. For an Internet connection, you will need a modem and a phone line.

Who do I contact if I am interested in the class?
The Nursing Section in the Division of Public Health. By phone 404-657-2700 or email phn@drh.state.ga.us.