Archive for the ‘War/Combat’ Category
Disaster Mental Health
I have had what could be benignly called a very long travel day (involving groundstops, flying through thunderstorms, airport power outages, and the like). It’s far later than I planned to be posting for today (actually yesterday now), so this is a short and simple one for those of you interested in traumatic stress and emotional trauma: from David Baldwin’s Trauma Information Pages, his comprehensive listing of online disaster mental health resources. I don’t normally just highlight a page of links as the sole content for a post, but this one is so exhaustive, I figured it’s a great resource to add to the arsenal.
Bioterrorism & Emerging Disease Preparedness
Rutgers College of Nursing has 8 online courses on bioterrorism and emerging disease preparedness. They all carry contact hours and range from $10-$70 depending on the number of hours you earn (looks like it’s roughly $10 per CE, give or take a few bucks).
Invisible Injuries of War
The Coming Home Project, a non-profit organization devoted to providing compassionate care, support and stress management tools for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, their families, and their service providers, has a series of videos and podcasts on a host of different issues related to the physical and mental health needs of returning service men and women.
PTSD & Traumatic Brain Injury
The University of Louisville Health Sciences Center has a free online course on PTSD & traumatic brain injury. Presented by Humana Military Healthcare Services, the course is meant to benefit “both civilian trauma patients and affected service members. Improved quality of care will reduce healthcare costs and morbidity related to these conditions. This course is designed for all physicians who provide care for civilian, veteran, and active duty military patients who have witnessed or have been exposed to serious trauma.”
Video Game as Learning Tool
It’s an interesting idea–using a computer game to provide education about genocide. That’s what mtvU has done with Darfur is Dying, “a narrative-based simulation where the user, from the standpoint of a displaced Darfurian, negotiates forces that threaten the survival of his or her refuge camp. It offers a faint glimpse of what it’s like for the more than 2.5 million who have been internally displaced by the crisis in Sudan.”
PTSD and Suicide
New from Medscape, a CE offering based on an article from the March 2009 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Heightens Suicide Risk provides .25 AMA PRA Category 1 credits for physicians, free of charge. It doesn’t look like there are nursing CEs attached to this one, though.
Blast Injuries & Mass Casualties
Since I loaded you with posts yesterday (and according to my stats page A LOT of you are working your way through the cervical images today–wow, people), a nice bite-sized podcast to have with your morning latte. The CDC, always a reliable source for content, has a podcast on Blast Injuries: What Clinicians Need to Know. It clocks in at under 3 minutes–barely enough time to set the speed and incline on your treadmill. However, if this brief audio isn’t enough to satisfy your need for info on the subject…
Sexual Assault in the Military
Tuesday, the Department of Defense released a new report on sexual assault in the military. Those of us who do this work won’t find the results particularly shocking (no glibness intended in that statement), but they are disturbing, nonetheless. Tuesday night CBS Evening News did a report on the story. You can watch the video here. Wednesday, they followed up with a piece on whether US military policies endanger female soldiers (clip and story here).
Maternal Health in Emergency Situations
UNICEF/UN Radio produced a podcast on maternal health last fall, Delivering on the Front Lines: Maternal Health in Conflict, Post-Conflict and Emergency Situations. The podcast features a panel of experts who examine the impact war and other emergent situations have on pregnant women and new mothers. “During armed conflict, the well-being of women is threatened by physical, sexual and psychological abuse, and vital maternal care services are typically disrupted by the devastation of health infrastructure.” You can listen to the 23 minute podcast here.
PTSD
The US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, has a free PTSD101 program for healthcare professionals. The courses contained in the program (and there are many), are divided into 6 different categories and include topics such as vicarious traumatization, PTSD and sexual assault, combat stress injuries, and cultural dimensions of PTSD. The list is pretty extensive. Best of all? CEs available for everyone.
International Forensic Investigation Course
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has a pretty incredible online course on international forensic investigation. What may be most unbelievable is that it is offered free of charge. Although it doesn’t appear that CEs are attached, don’t let that deter you–there is some seriously chewy content in this offering.
Online Continuing Ed from IAFN
The International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) is “an international membership organization comprised of forensic nurses working around the world and other professionals who support and compliment the work of forensic nursing.” This week, IAFN unveiled their new online CE site, which will allow members to purchase continuing education units and track their earned CEUs through the site. Non-members can also access content, although in a more limited manner.
While there is a fee for the majority of content (you actually earn continuing education units, so it’s a good use of your $$$), you can currently access the keynote speech from the 2008 Annual Scientific Assembly, “The Unconscionable Weapons of War” by Stephen Lewis, at no cost.
To join IAFN, visit their site for information, cost and member benefits.
