Environmental Health Services in Europe 4 Guidance on the Development of Educational and Training Curricula. WHO Regional Publications, European Series, No. 84

Annotation A practical guide to the development of curricula for the education and training of environmental health professionals. Prepared in consultation with educational institutes in a number of countries, the guide responds to both growing concern about environmental hazards and the need to ensure that professionals are adequately equipped with knowledge and skills. By recommending detailed model curricula for a range of professional categories, the book also aims to encourage the harmonization of international efforts to increase competence in the protection of public health from environmental threats. The book opens with an overview of the development of environmental health services within European countries, followed by a discussion of the main challenges faced in current efforts to prevent and control environmental hazards. Against this background, the first main chapter introduces a framework for discussing training needs and defining learning objectives. Sixteen core areas of environmental health are identified, ranging from the monitoring of air, food, and water quality through control of the safety of agrochemicals, to auditing the safety of nuclear power plants and other energy sources. These activities are then discussed according to six core functions of environmental health services, moving from risk assessment, management and communication, to education, training and research. Common activities that support each function are discussed together with the corresponding requirements for knowledge and skills. On the basis of this analysis, the chapter defines relevant learning objectives for training to perform each of the core functions. Subsequent chapters consider the advantages and disadvantages of different methodologies for teaching environmental health, and suggest a range of guidelines that can be used to evaluate an educational program. The first half of the book concludes with a series of concrete proposals for curricula judged suitable for training different categories of professionals. The second half of the book sets out highly detailed model curricula, including learning objectives, recommended hours of instruction, and suggested content for modules for four categories of environmental health specialists and two categories of managers Contents......Page 7 Foreword......Page 9 Introduction......Page 11 1. Learning objectives......Page 29 2. Approaches and methodologies for teaching environmental health......Page 63 3. Evaluating systems in educational programmes......Page 75 4. Proposed curricula for environmental health professionals......Page 85 References......Page 95 Annex 1. Detailed curriculum for environmental health technicians/aides......Page 99 Annex 2. Detailed curriculum for general technicians/aides......Page 115 Annex 3. Detailed curriculum for specialist environmental health professionals......Page 125 Annex 4. Detailed curriculum for other specialist professionals......Page 147 Annex 5. Detailed curriculum for environmental health service managers......Page 165 Annex 6. Proposed curriculum for managers of other sectors......Page 177 Annex 7. Guidelines for developing and evaluating learning objectives for educational programmes in environmental health......Page 187 Annex 8. Participants in preparatory meetings, 1995-1996......Page 193 This publication is intended to serve as a practical guide to the development of relevant curricula for the education and training of environmental health professionals. This book aims to: (1) set out principles for developing policies on education and training for environmental health professionals at national and subnational levels; (2) formulate proposals for curricula that aid in conferring the necessary competencies to environmental health professionals; (3) support the upgrading of national capacities for education and training to facilitate national self-reliance in the prevention and control of environmental hazards; and (4) promote the harmonization of international efforts to upgrade the environmental health workforce in Europe. (WRM) Martin Fitzpatrick And Xavier Bonnefoy. Includes Bibliographical References.