College partners with Department of Public Health to host workshop
By Lauren McDonald lmcdonald@thebrunswick.com
College of Coastal Georgia Associate Professor of Nursing Beverly Rowe, center, looks on as public health nurses check vital signs on a pediatric mannequin during a pediatric assessment training workshop for public health nurses from seven counties held at the College of Coastal Georgia on Thursday. (Bobby Haven/The Brunswick News)
Several public health nurses found themselves in a familiar educational setting Thursday.
College of Coastal Georgia’s Department of Nursing hosted a pediatric assessment training workshop Thursday, titled “Everything You Wanted to Know About Pediatric Assessment and Communication Technique for the Public Health Nurse.”
More than 20 nurses attended the workshop, and many were graduates of the college’s nursing program.
“This is a partnership with College of Coastal Georgia, and we are excited with the partnership because it strengthens the knowledge base of our nurses,” said Betty Dixon, director of nursing and clinical services for the Coastal Health District. “And we also partner with the college when their students nurses rotate through our departments.”
The Coastal Health District asked the college to lead the workshop for public health nurses from Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long and McIntosh counties.
The workshop covered many topics, including pediatric physical and developmental assessment, cultural health beliefs and practices, age-appropriate communication strategies and development of pediatric health teaching plans.
Beverly Rowe, an associate professor of nursing at the college, led the workshop and will teach a second group of nurses on July 25.
Public health is focused on prevention and education about nutrition, immunization and other health living choices, Dixon said.
“Once we know what normal looks like, we can recognize abnormal and refer to their pediatrician,” she said.
The workshop provided a refresher course in pediatric assessment, Dixon said. Public health nurses are trained to help treat many minor childhood illnesses and ailments including pink eye, strep throat, acne and head lice.
The workshop at the college aimed to update the nurses on best practices for pediatric assessment.
“The goal fo public health is prevention, and we want to make sure all children are as healthy as possible,” Dixon said.
The college’s nursing department is an ideal partner, Dixon said, for that continued education.
“This nursing department and Coastal is one of the best nursing programs in the state of Georgia,” she said.
Republished with the permission of The Brunswick News. Originally published at The Brunswick News.