You and your coworkers are invited to take part in an upcoming online HIV and Hepatitis C Testing course!
CATIE is partnering with PAN to deliver a training course for you and your colleagues in BC and beyond on HIV and Hepatitis C Testing. There is a full course outline below where you can find out more. You also may register for this course now: Register now for course
CATIE’s HIV and Hepatitis C Testing course aims to develop in-depth knowledge of testing technologies, approaches to testing, and how all service providers play an important role in reaching people with HIV and hepatitis C. This course will not teach participants how to test, rather, by exploring different approaches to testing and the barriers that exist, service providers come away with strategies to facilitate testing and linkage to care, treatment, and prevention in their communities and with their clients.
This course includes approximately five – six hours of online instruction delivered over four weeks. It includes weekly self-directed modules and collaborative discussion boards facilitated by a CATIE educator, and an interactive online meeting with our educators and fellow students.
Details about this training
Audience
Are you a service provider who works with people who might benefit from HIV and/or hepatitis C testing? All service providers who have a role to play in supporting people to be connected to testing, treatment, and linkages to care, would benefit from this course.
Participants should have a basic understanding of HIV and hepatitis C before beginning this course.
Weekly topic breakdown
HIV-Hepatitis C Testing includes four online modules with a variety of learning activities such as eLearning units, readings, discussion board assignments, videos and webinars. You can work through each weekly module at your own pace.
Week 1: Introduction to Testing
At the end of this unit, the learner will be able to:
• Explain why testing is important.
• Recognize the range of barriers and facilitators to HIV or hepatitis C testing.
• Describe testing approaches for reaching people with undiagnosed HIV or chronic hepatitis C.
• Identify clinical indications and priority populations for HIV or hepatitis C testing.
Week 2: HIV Testing and Diagnosis
At the end of this unit, the learner will be able to:
• Explain the ways people get tested for HIV.
• Describe the different technologies that are used to test for HIV in Canada.
• Explain the meaning and importance of window periods.
• Identify the window periods for HIV tests used in Canada.
• Discuss the accuracy of HIV tests.
• Explain what happens after an HIV diagnosis.
Week 3: Hepatitis C Testing and Diagnosis
At the end of this unit, the learner will be able to:
• Explain the two-step testing process for diagnosing hepatitis C.
• Identify the ways people get tested for hepatitis C.
• Describe the different technologies used to test for hepatitis C in Canada.
• Explain the meaning and importance of window periods.
• Discuss the accuracy of hepatitis C tests.
• Explain what happens after a hepatitis C diagnosis.
Week 4: Key components of the HIV and hepatitis C testing process
At the end of this unit, the learner will be able to:
• Convey the importance of counselling, informed consent and confidentiality as part of the testing process.
• Describe considerations for pre- and post-test counselling and for information provided to people before and after they test.
• Explain the importance of linking people who get tested for HIV and/or hepatitis C to care and other health and social supports.
• Describe how to link people to services/supports that can help them access treatment or stay HIV and hepatitis C negative.
We will finish with an Interactive online Meeting – HIV and Hepatitis C Testing: Implications for frontline service providers
Want more detail? Take a look at this complete course outline.
Timing
The online modules are available from March 20 to April 14, 2023, allowing four weeks for online learning to be completed, with our online meeting taking place April 12, 2023, 1–3 PM Pacific time.
You may register for this course here:
https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7157525/TST-PAN-0323-EDU
Please share this with anyone else who may be interested. For more information about this course or CATIE’s education offerings, please contact Dylan, your CATIE health education coordinator, at [email protected]