FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University will offer an online certificate program in the spring for advanced practice nurses who want to study telehealth technology. It will be offered through the Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing.
The program, designed for advanced practice nurses with a master’s degree or masters and doctoral degree in nursing, comprises of four, eight-week courses. Upon completion, advanced practice nurses will have the competence to use telehealth technology effectively in their professional roles, offering patient healthcare to include, consultations, preventative care, and management of acute and chronic issues utilizing a wide variety of telehealth modalities.
Donna McHaney, clinical associate professor and director of the Davis & Henley College of Nursing’s online FNP and DNP programs, including the new telehealth certificate, said development of this new certificate program was in the works for about a year. The coronavirus pandemic was the tipping point, as it proved there is a need for such education.
“As a result of the pandemic, telehealth has become a crucial strategy for increasing access to care, addressing health justice inequities and improving clinical outcomes,” said Karen Bauce, associate dean of online programs. “Advanced practice nurses can lead the adoption and implementation of telehealth technology in practice to achieve fundamental health care reform goals of better care and better health at lower cost.”
The first two courses will introduce students to telehealth and explain its wide variety of modalities. The third course will teach students how to integrate telehealth into practice, and the fourth course entails clinical work. Students will gain 60 hours of experience by applying what they learn in real-world settings.
McHaney said people do not realize the many levels of telehealth. It can be as simple as a telephone call with a provider, such as an advanced practice nurse, or it can be as complex as comprehensive health assessment conducted at a clinic using telehealth equipment.
The patient meets virtually with a provider while receiving the appropriate tests and evaluation, she said.
The certificate program explores the use of telehealth technology across the life span for care coordination, transition management, health promotion and patient and family education, Bauce said. It will also prepare advanced practice nurses to assume leadership roles in telehealth, she added.
To learn more about the telehealth certificate program visit its webpage.
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As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 386 Colleges–2021 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best Business Schools–2020 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu