Organization: Humanitarian U
Humanitarian U is a Canadian organisation founded in 2011 in response to the need to increase the preparedness and effectiveness of humanitarian aid workers in disaster situations. Humanitarian U does this by providing competency-based, accessible, affordable, high-quality, performance-measured online training courses made by humanitarians for humanitarians. Humanitarian U works collaboratively to leverage the expertise and ideas of specialized technical and educational partners in addition to those in the humanitarian sector to provide maximum accessibility and usability for humanitarian aid workers around the globe and to promote best practices and recognized standards for performance in humanitarian action. Humanitarian U leverages state-of‐the‐art technology to enable humanitarians to access training and support anytime, anywhere - even in the most challenging situations. Through its courses, Humanitarian U is developing an online community of humanitarian workers to encourage the sustainability of the initiative and share field learning and experience. Humanitarian U is an industry leader for the innovative design of standardised performance-based professional accessible online training products, meeting a need in the global sector of humanitarian response.
Objectives: The complexity and unprecedented number of humanitarian emergencies requiring a health response have resulted in an increased demand for competent humanitarian healthcare providers. Our Humanitarian Healthcare Program helps to address this problem. This complete, evidence-based and up-to-date online program presents the globally recognized best practices and standards in humanitarian healthcare. It will give you the requisite competencies you need to work in this field.
Healthcare providers have their own skill sets unique to their respective practice. However, these are not enough. Working in a dynamic humanitarian environment necessitates an entirely different set of competencies. These globally recognized competencies are what are offered in our Humanitarian Healthcare Provider Program.
Being prepared rather than learning as you go in the field, can significantly impact on your own safety and your ability to positively impact the lives of those affected by disaster and crisis. Our Humanitarian Healthcare Provider program is highly valuable for all health providers who may work or who are working in global health and/or humanitarian operations.
Our Humanitarian Healthcare Provider program equips humanitarian health workers to face challenges in the field with professionalism, competency and compassion. Our graduates are empowered to provide capable, efficient and confident support to communities in need – whether to help improve healthcare delivery, respond to disasters, restrict the spread of disease, or assist displaced persons.
Course 1: Humanitarian Framework
Course 1 sets the scene for humanitarian action, providing a portrait of the contemporary humanitarian environment while highlighting the complexity and diversity of humanitarian contexts and response. Course 1 explores the Humanitarian Context, Humanitarian System, Humanitarian Actors and Humanitarian Principles and Standards as well as International Humanitarian Law. The first course also addresses cross-cutting issues, the contemporary refugee crisis, and trends that are affecting the way emergency response is defined.
Course 2: Public Health in Emergencies
Course 2 addresses coordination in humanitarian assistance and the different coordination mechanisms that exist. It explores current humanitarian response through a public health lens. It provides information on rapid assessment, sampling methods and disease surveillance mechanisms. Finally, this course presents the minimum indicators for each of the technical sectors: water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WaSH), food security and nutrition, shelter, settlement and non-food items (NFIs) and health.
Course 3: Clinical cases in Emergencies
Course 3 connects the broader aspects of humanitarian strategic planning with the clinical competencies concerning relevant pathologies and disease processes including diarrheal disease, malaria, measles, viral haemorrhagic fevers and other important infections such as HIV and tuberculosis. This course also addresses malnutrition, child health, mental health and sexual and reproductive health.
Course 4: Disaster Management in Emergencies
Course 4 provides a glimpse into the management of disaster response both at the domestic and international levels. It provides a conceptual framework and portrait of current standards in disaster management, including management cycle, hazards, risk and vulnerability mapping, mitigation measures, and more. It also provides insight into information management systems and early recovery mechanisms.
Course 5: Humanitarian Emergency Management
Course 5 provides students with the tools to be a professional and effective humanitarian worker able to face the challenges of field-work in demanding and dynamic environments. It touches on subjects such as pre-departure preparation, stress management, self-care, leadership and diplomacy. It also teaches how to operate safely in a context where humanitarians can be at risk. Finally, it provides tools and resources to build a career pathway into the field of humanitarian response.
Target audience: Resident and staff physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, physician assistants, public health officers/practitioners, other Healthcare providers.
How to register:
If you are interested in completing the program please visit our website to register and pay online. Once payment has been processed you will be issued your login details and can begin the course.
For more information please contact Lisa Oddy at lisa.oddy@humanitarianu.com