The Darton Health Professions Foundation and the Darton College of Health Sciences at Albany State University are excited to announce continuing education units (CEUs) for the health professions field. 

Education for the healthcare professionals in SWGA does not end with a college diploma or certificate. Many disciplines require annual education to keep up their standards and certifications. The Darton Foundation and ASU are working to provide that continued education. 

Dr. Sarah Brinson, Dean of the Darton College of Health Professions at ASU said, “People working in the health professions field, like everyone else, have the difficult task of managing their work life, family, and personal obligations. So, it isn’t always feasible to leave town for CEUs. Each discipline has different annual requirements for continued education and we are excited to present this opportunity that will provide four-hour CEUs for multiple disciplines in healthcare fields.”

“Depending on the field, everyone must have a certain number of hours of CEUs and the Foundation is making that simple and available after normal business hours and through digital attendance,” said Randae Davis, the Executive Director of the Foundation. “Last year we collaborated to deliver continuing education for physical therapy professionals and those in the therapy discipline. We had a great group from all over the southeast in attendance. This year we are focusing on low cost, easily accessible, relevant topics that our healthcare professionals are facing and each course will count towards their annual requirements.”

The Foundation and ASU have collaborated to developed a three-part series and the courses will be held in May, August, and November this year. Part one of the collection is, “Violence Against Healthcare Workers” to be held June 7, 2022 from 5:30pm-9:30pm. 

Dr. Kelsey Reed, Director for Patient Care at Phoebe Putney and Darton Foundation Board Member said, “Each of these courses is very timely for our healthcare professionals. Many don’t realize that employees in the healthcare system are four times more likely to be a victim of violence than any other profession, including law enforcement. Every day there is violence in the healthcare system and our workers need the training and education to know how to prevent situations and properly respond should they encounter them.”  Reed also served on the Georgia’s Senate Study Committee on Violence Against Healthcare Workers and will be a key speaker for this course.  

“We are fortunate to have several health professionals on our board and they solicited input from their staff,” said Davis. The first course will look at violence against healthcare professionals, review legislative action, discuss situational awareness, and the proper response to situations or threats of violence. Part two, will address “Self-care for Healthcare Workers” and part three will be “Technology in the Healthcare Workplace.”

Dr. Tracy Suber, Vice President of Education at Phoebe Putney and Darton Foundation Board Member, feels the three-part series will not only address continued educational units for 2022 but will address important topics impacting the health professions field. “Since the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, healthcare workers have been on the frontlines working unbelievable hours, sacrificing themselves and giving everything they have to the profession and their patients. These courses are vital to our healthcare workers in Southwest Georgia and beyond.”

Mr. Davis said that registration is currently open and a 10% discount is available when someone signs up for all three courses. The courses are accredited through Albany State University and all proceeds from these events will benefit scholarships for students seeking a degree in nursing or the healthcare professions at Albany State University. For more information visit the events page on the foundation’s website https://dartonfoundation.org/events/ and follow the registration links to Eventbrite or visit the series on Darton’s collection of courses page on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/healthcare-ceus-184939. Certificates will be provided electronically for those who complete the courses. For questions, email [email protected] with a subject line of CEU.