Getting started in travel health: read and reflect

Getting started in travel health: read and reflect

Practice nurses can start a new job and find that they are expected to provide travel health services to the practice’s patient population. This module explains what training and skills the general practice nurse needs in order to be able to offer a travel health service.

Complete this resource by reading the article, New to travel health? How to get started reflecting on the information and answering the questions that follow to consolidate your knowledge. Save your additional reading articles in MY FOLDERS and complete the activities/reflections, considering how this module reflects the NMC Code. On completion, you can obtain a certificate for one hour of continuing professional development to add to your revalidation portfolio.

NB. You must read the article before attempting this module in order to earn your certificate.

Aims and objectives

On completion of this resource you should have an understanding of:

• The complexity of travel health practice
• The scale of demand for travel health services
• The guidelines and resources available to travel health practitioners
• Sources of accredited training and what to look for when selecting a course

Read the article

New to travel health? How to get started Jane Chiodini, Director of Education, Faculty of Travel Medicine, RCPS(Glasg)

Further reading and resources

RCN Travel health nursing: career and competence development, 2012 https://www2.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/78747/003146.pdf

Recommendations for the practice of travel medicine, 2012 Faculty of Travel Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. http://www.travelmedicinejournal.com/article/S1477-8939(12)00067-1/pdf

Immunisation against infectious Disease (The Green Book) https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation-against-infectious-disease-the-green-book

Guidelines for malaria prevention in travellers from the UK https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/malaria-prevention-guidelines-for-travellers-from-the-uk

Online databases for UK practitioners

NaTHNaC The National Travel Health Network and Centre – national database from Public health England. http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/

TRAVAX – Health Protection Scotland (HPS) for use by healthcare professionals); free of charge to users in Scotland but fees payable for all other users in the UK http://www.travax.nhs.uk/

See also a separate site for the general public, http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home.aspx

Basic training courses in travel health by qualified trainers

• Travel-Health Related Education and Care (TREC) http://www.trectravelhealth.co.uk/

Information about the trainers of TREC http://www.trectravelhealth.co.uk/about-us/

• Travel Health Training http://www.janechiodini.co.uk/education/new-to-travel/

Information about the trainer http://www.janechiodini.co.uk/about/

The author also has a malaria e learning course currently available free of charge. This course follows the Malaria Guidelines in travellers from the UK 2015 publication. Details available at http://www.janechiodini.co.uk/education/malaria-course/

Read the article: New to travel health? How to get started