Introduction
Healthcare workers on the frontlines have always been under immense pressure in our resource constraint environment and this was hugely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As vaccines and new variants have emerged there seems to some relief from the COVID-19 pandemic, however the Coronavirus has triggered a parallel Mental Health pandemic. Multiple studies report that the prevalence of stress, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) are three to seven times higher than pre-COVID rate in the general public and considerably higher amongst healthcare workers.
Healthcare workers are modern day heroes who need the tools to be able to protect their personal and professional well-being in difficult circumstances and in our resource constraint environment. Having key knowledge and skills in areas such as digital literacy, risk communication and the tools to build your resilience will help you thrive in the face of the daily challenges you face.
Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) through the generous support of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) brings you this package of courses that are fully sponsored to equip you with the knowledge and skills to build and maintain your resilience.
Course Content
The package features four courses on key elements to build and maintain your resilience:
Digital Literacy
Objective: How to use the Internet, keeping yourself and your computer safe online and use the most common productivity software applications available.
Exit Level Outcomes
After completion of this learning experience, participants should be able to:
- Perform basic computer operations.
- Identify the primary risks to computers and the steps to minimize these risks.
- Utilise the internet social media and e-mail effectively.
- Perform basic tasks in productivity programmmes, such as word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation programs.
7 Day Mental Health Toolkit
Objective: How to take simple steps to ensure that you to stay mentally fit and healthy.
Exit Level Outcomes
After completion of this learning experience, participants should be able to:
- Achieve a state of alert, focused relaxation by deliberately paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judgement.
- Create a daily routine that supports and promotes a sense of purpose and well-being.
- Utilise creative activities to promote mental health steadiness.
- Implement a physical exercise programme to contribute to overall well-being and fitness.
- Utilise various available modalities and techniques, e.g., music, focussed thought, speaking books, videos to transform anxiety to positive activities.
- Demonstrate techniques to deal with depression and feelings of isolation and anxiety.
- Connect to a place of inner peace.
- Recognise symptoms of burnout and plan to avoid suffering from it.
Mental Resilience for Healthcare Professionals
Objective: How to minimise the negative impacts on the mental wellbeing Healthcare Professionals’ and a guide in your quest to ensure you stay mentally fit and healthy.
Exit Level Outcomes
After completion of this learning experience, participants should be able to:
- Examine the advantages and disadvantages of working remotely utilising and transferring to digital platforms in your work environment.
- Explain the physical reactions to lockdown causing stress, anxiety, burnout for everybody dealing with COVID-19 - both patients and healthcare providers.
- Relate how the COVID epidemic has exacerbated existing stressors for Frontline Workers and discuss means of creating resilience to cope with them.
- Integrate Psycho-social aspects in the care of COVID-19 patients.
- Create a survival grid for post COVID-19: How to stay Real and Robust.
Risk Communication and Community Engagement
Objective: Understanding the concepts and principles of Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), how to structure RCCE activities in order to achieve the best outcomes and gain insight into methods and practices of managing the infodemic that has accompanied the spread of COVID-19.
Exit Learning Outcomes
After completion of this learning experience, participants should be able to:
- Define RCCE and describe the core capacities and guiding principles.
- Develop a communication plan for vaccine uptake and continued prevention.
- Establish community engagement systems in line with core standards.
- Explain the role of social listening and community feedback systems in RCCE.
- Recognise, assess and address dis and misinformation.
Course Duration
Each course takes the specified number of hours as indicated below to complete, participants are provided with access to complete the package for a maximum of six months.
- Digital Literacy - 8 hours
- 7 Day Mental Health Toolkit - 10 hours
- Mental Resilience for Healthcare Professionals - 12 hours
- Risk Communication and Community Engagement - 24 hours
Assessment
Participants will be assessed on the self-study component of each course through means of multi-choice questionnaire after each module or at end of the course and pass successfully.
Certification
After successful completion of each course, participants will be awarded a certificate of completion by the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD), a registered Private Institute of Higher Education.
Sponsorship
This Healthcare Worker Resilience Package is fully sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This package was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number GH002393-01 from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the U.S. government.
Contact
Tel: 087 821 1109 or 012 110 4080 | Fax: 086 550 3692
Email: healthscience@foundation.co.za | www.foundation.co.za
