Online database of instructional materials updated

A database of free online instructional materials from several UNMC educational areas has been expanded.

The database — known as Clinical Educational Resources or CER — contains videos, audio files, PowerPoint presentations — and can be accessed by anyone with a UNMC Lotus Notes username and password.

To participate If you are interested in volunteering as a content or technical reviewer, contact Dr. Thompson at cbthompson@unmc.edu. Those who have ideas for new videos and materials for CER should contact Information Technology Services’ Steve Pera at 402-559-2856; the College of Nursing’s Rick Fisher at 402-559-6516 or your college’s representative on the CER advisory board. CER board members are: Steve Pera; David Brown, Ph.D.; Christie Campbell-Grossman, Ph.D.; Paul Paulman, M.D.; Karen Honeycutt; Louise LaFramboise, Ph.D.; Rick Fisher; Dean Collier, Pharm.D.; Patricia Carstens; Teri Hartman; and Sergio Costa, Ph.D.

“The main benefits of the CER database are it serves as an easily accessible clinical educational resource for educators and health professionals and it has a wide variety of information,” said Paul Paulman, M.D., assistant dean for clinical skills and quality in the UNMC College of Medicine.

CER — which was formed thanks to the efforts of a subcommittee of the Clinical Skills Advisory Committee — is the centralization of materials that various colleges and units have produced.

CER currently includes materials from the Colleges of Dentistry, Nursing, Medicine and the School of Allied Health Professions. A total of 327 items are available for use by faculty and 173 items are available for student use, without faculty oversight.

“The database is especially useful for teaching or as a review,” said Cheryl Thompson, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UNMC College of Nursing.

Whether a student needs to see a demonstration of the proper technique for suturing or a health professional needs a refresher course on how to give an injection, they will find it in the CER database, she said.

“Many of the videos are short — three to four minutes in length — and focus just on how to do the skill being demonstrated,” Dr. Thompson said. “Others provide more in-depth content related to a procedure.”

Ideas for more videos and other materials are sought as are volunteers to help review the materials already on hand, she said.

View more information about CER online.