Free Ebola Online Courses Available from UNMC, Nebraska Medicine

The University of Nebraska Medical Center and its primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, are launching two free online Ebola education courses. The downloadable courses will provide easy-to-understand instruction and resources for healthcare professionals, as well as the general public.

“The protocols and procedures we have refined here at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine are helping to keep healthcare workers safe nationwide while dealing with potential and diagnosed Ebola cases,” says Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, chancellor of UNMC and chairman of the Nebraska Medicine advisory board. “We want to share our expertise with the world.”

The two courses, The Nebraska Ebola Method for Clinicians and The Nebraska Ebola Method for General Public, provide instruction and information through videos and printable documents.

The clinicians course is available now via the iTunes U app for iPad and iPhone, through this direct link -- https://itunesu.itunes.apple.com/enroll/FDL-BXP-WTF -- or by searching in iTunes U. The course also is available through Moodle at http://phtc.unmc.edu/moodle for viewing on a desktop, laptop or other mobile devices.

“We have received many phone calls and emails from other healthcare organizations nationwide seeking guidance on our safety protocols and procedures,” Gold says. “These courses will help clinicians and communities access the information they need at any time. We will continue to add to these courses as updates are needed.”

The course for clinicians will provide videos, media and guidelines as used in Nebraska to care for Ebola patients. The dynamic and evolving materials share current processes being used to safely care for patients.

The course will be updated frequently to disseminate lessons learned. Preparations are being made to offer continuing education credit. Information will be available at www.unmc.edu/cce.

The community course will provide explanations about the disease that are easy to understand and helpful to share with patients, families and community members. Materials will be developed over time with high standards for health literacy and accessibility. This course will be available soon.

The Nebraska Biocontainment Unit is one of just four in the nation. Two Ebola patients have been successfully treated at and released from the unit.

iTunes U is the world’s largest online catalog of free educational content from top schools and prominent organizations. Thousands of educational institutions are hosting more than 7,500 public and thousands of private courses encompassing the arts, sciences, health and medicine, education, business and more.

Moodle.org is an open-source e-learning platform with about 65 million users worldwide.