Access Free Courses to Build Skills in Pediatric Respiratory Care

Seasonal respiratory illnesses are elevated across the country. Community and rural hospitals seeing children with influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 may benefit from pediatric-specific educational resources to improve patient outcomes.

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) is providing a no-cost educational resource for hospital teams who are caring for children with respiratory illnesses in emergency departments and inpatient settings. The 13 online courses in the Care of the Acutely Ill Pediatric Patient Respiratory Bundle represent current evidence-based practice. The materials help prepare pediatric and adult clinicians to care for children with critical respiratory issues.

Access to the education bundle is available to CHA members and nonmembers until April 30.

Education matters

Children may experience different care in children’s hospitals, community hospitals, and rural emergency departments due to capacity challenges during illness surges. Respiratory illnesses like RSV can be dangerous for infants and young children, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimating 58,000-80,000 children younger than five years are hospitalized due to RSV each year.

Cross-training is critical as pediatric and adult hospitals arrange staffing and resources to meet the demand. Many nurses and clinicians, especially those in adult hospitals and rural clinics, may not frequently care for pediatric patients with complex needs, making education essential for improved patient outcomes.

“These courses allow nurses to refresh and learn new knowledge they need to provide care for pediatric patients,” said Amy Nelson, vice president of Pediatric Learning Solutions. “We hope this will help them feel prepared and confident as they encounter respiratory illnesses.”

Course topics

The course includes real-world scenarios and interactive elements to support safe and effective practices. The four-part unit covers:

• Airway management and respiratory support.
• Weight-based medication dosing.
• Pediatric codes.
• Pediatric parent or caregiver interactions.

On-demand learning access

The Care of the Acutely Ill Pediatric Patient Respiratory Bundle is designed for emergency department staff such as physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists, inpatient clinicians, and hospitals teams who need to cross-train and enhance their pediatric preparedness.

Participants may earn up to 10 continuing nursing and continuing respiratory care education credits and up to 1.5 continuing medical education credits after completing the bundle.

We hope hospitals take advantage of this free resource so children can receive the timely, expert care they need.