Environments of harm: How health care facility buildings can endanger patient and nurse health & safety in a changing climate

Course Description

Hospitals and other health care settings should be places of refuge and healing in which nurses play a vital role in providing care to patients. But the reality is that nurses and patients can face hazards associated with poorly maintained and aging hospital infrastructure, including waterborne pathogens, poor air quality and ventilation, extreme temperatures, and slips, trips, and falls. Human-induced climate change is only amplifying those hazards through increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heatwaves, winter storms, and hurricanes, as well as the increased emergence of infectious diseases. Increasing extreme weather events and other emergencies can disrupt critical power and water supplies, damage hospital infrastructure, and overwhelm and prevent health care systems from delivering lifesaving care when facilities are not prepared.

This class will investigate building-related hazards that can impact the health and safety of nurses and patients, including water and air quality, the safety of the physical environment, and disaster preparedness. We will discuss the measures needed to ensure that health care facilities provide a safe care environment for nurses and patients.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

Describe the importance of safe built environments and disaster preparedness.
Discuss strategies frontline nurses can employ to advocate for safe patient care conditions.

Instructors:

Jane Thomason and/or Sarah Swinnerton and/or Rocelyn de Leon-Minch

Course Information:

This will be a 3-hour online class via Zoom for 3 hours of continuing education credits.

You will receive Zoom information for this class, via email, a week before your class date.

Registrations will close for these classes the morning of the prior business day.

Dates:

Tuesday, July 15 — 10am to 1pm PT/1pm to 4pm ET
Friday, July 18 — 1pm to 4pm PT/4pm to 7pm ET
Monday, July 21 — 11am to 2pm PT/2pm to 5pm ET
Wednesday, July 23 — 9am to 12pm PT/12pm to 3pm ET
Thursday, August 7 — 11am to 2pm PT/2pm to 5pm ET
Tuesday, August 12 — 10am to 1pm PT/1pm to 4pm ET

CE courses are free to National Nurses United members. Classes are only offered to direct-care and staff RNs.

Not ? Click here.

First name*

Last name*

Email address*

Street address

City

State

Region

ZIP Code

Postal code

Home phone

Mobile phone

Job Classification*

Your facility/hospital*

*If you are retired, list the facility where you were last employed.

RN License Number*

*If you are retired, and no longer have a current RN license number please enter “Retired.”

Are you a CNA/NNOC/NNU member?* Yes, I am a CNA/NNOC/NNU member Yes, I am a retired CNA/NNOC member No, I am not a member

Select a class date — please note, if you fill out this form more than once, only your most recent selection is logged.* Tuesday, July 15 — 10am to 1pm PT/1pm to 4pm ET Friday, July 18 — 1pm to 4pm PT/4pm to 7pm ET Monday, July 21 — 11am to 2pm PT/2pm to 5pm ET Wednesday, July 23 — 9am to 12pm PT/12pm to 3pm ET Thursday, August 7 — 11am to 2pm PT/2pm to 5pm ET Tuesday, August 12 — 10am to 1pm PT/1pm to 4pm ET

How did you learn about this class?

Other (please specify)

* denotes required field

CE class session sign-up