Overview

Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals is comprehensive foundational eating disorder training developed specifically for fertility care professionals. 

This 90-minute, self-paced, and interactive online training activity aims to equip fertility care professionals with the knowledge and skills to identify when a person is experiencing an eating disorder, complete a screening assessment, refer to appropriate services in the stepped system of care, and understand components of eating disorder treatment and recovery. It includes practical real-life scenarios and activities, videos from leaders in the field and people with a lived experience of an eating disorder, up-to-date resources, and a formal assessment.

The training aligns with the NEDC Workforce Core Competencies and National Framework for Eating Disorders Training, the ANZAED clinical practice and training standards, and the stepped system of care for eating disorders.

The five modules include:

1. Early Identification (Part 1) covers an introduction to eating disorder diagnoses, their prevalence and impact.
2. Early Identification (Part 2) focuses on the knowledge and skills needed by a health professional to effectively recognise when a person may be experiencing an eating disorder, including the risk factors, and warning signs.
3. Initial Response covers the knowledge and skills needed by a health professional to effectively engage and respond when a person may be experiencing an eating disorder.
4. Shared Care focuses on the knowledge needed by a fertility care health professional to provide shared care and support a person towards recovery.
5. Prevention and Harm Reduction covers eating disorder prevention and harm minimisation and will explore the implications and considerations applicable to fertility care providers.

Accompanying resource

NEDC has developed a resource specifically for people seeking fertility care. The booklet, Mind, Body & Fertility: The Connection Between Fertility Care, Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders, equips patients who may be experiencing or at risk of disordered eating or an eating disorder with information about the unique aspects of the relationship between fertility care and eating disorder risk, and includes practical preventative tips and other helpful suggestions. NEDC warmly invites any professionals who have completed this eLearning course to share the consumer resource with their patients. 

APS CPD-Approved

This activity has been assessed against the APS Standards for CPD activities and approved for its education quality.

Learn more about the APS CPD Approval process.

Level of Learning

Foundational. This activity is targeted to those new to the topic.

Related activities

Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for mental health professionals

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Module 1

• Identify clinical features of eating disorders, and
• Understand the impact of eating disorders (physical, psychological, fertility).

Module 2

• Identify risk factors and warning signs associated with eating disorders and disordered eating.

Module 3

• Determine if a person may be at risk of an eating disorder using appropriate screening tools, and
• Identify the appropriate referral pathway for a person experiencing an eating disorder.

Module 4

• Describe the system of care and care team for eating disorders, and
• Identify role and responsibilities in providing shared care.

Module 5:

• Describe protective factors against disordered eating and eating disorders and how these may be strengthened, and
• Describe eating disorder informed, safe and accessible care and the principle of “do no harm” in respect of eating disorder risk in clinical practice.

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