PAHO Holds Webinar to Discuss Training of Nursing Professionals in Adolescent Health and Development

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Washington DC, 22 April 2022 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) held the webinar Adolescent Health and Development in Nurse Training in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to advance discussion on the training of nursing professionals in adolescent health and development.

The event was part of the project "Better health for women and adolescents in situations of vulnerability." It was organized in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, and with the collaboration of professors from the nursing schools of the National University of Colombia, the University of Guayaquil in Ecuador, and Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru. 

Over 300 directors of nursing schools, professors, professionals in the field, and other stakeholders from ministries of health and health services in seven countries participated in the virtual event, representing Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and the United States of America. 

The event focused on sharing experiences and discussing gaps in student training. Discussions covered how to improve teaching plans and increase opportunities for teacher training, advance research into school nursing and implement it, and integrate clinical teaching with community service activities for students. 
The close of the event featured a proposal to develop ways to share information and experiences, follow up on discussions, and share opportunities for progress in this area.

In the coming months, PAHO will launch a regional nursing community of practice to share experiences. This platform will offer training courses for nurses in adolescent health services through the Virtual Campus for Public Health, and a thematic series on adolescents will be published in the Latin American Journal of Nursing. 

This course of action is expected to build competencies, enhance capacities, and with the contribution of the nursing workforce, lead to better outcomes in adolescent care in the Region of the Americas.

The recording of the webinar and additional information can be found here (available in Spanish).