Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health-Care Services

Nourishing Minds and Bodies Within LAU’s Nutrition Program

Nutrition students at LAU experience hands-on learning to gain insight into breastfeeding and optimal health.

The workshop aimed to provide students with practical insights into breastfeeding and its vital significance in promoting overall health in infants, children, mothers and families.

Under the tutelage of Dr. Bahia Abdallah, students engaged in hands-on activities and delved into the physical and emotional intricacies of breastfeeding and its impact on all genders.

As a means of fostering student-centered education, a workshop focusing on lactation was held for LAU nutrition and dietetics students on March 17, 2023. It aimed to provide students with practical insights into breastfeeding and its vital significance in promoting overall health in infants, children, mothers and families.

For these students, majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics as well as the Nutrition and Dietetics Coordinated Program (CP) gave them the opportunity to be exposed to and involved in educational and professional opportunities along the way. As such, this workshop came about as part of the Nutrition in the Life Cycle course offered in the program which is designed to bridge theoretical knowledge with real-world application.

In pursuit of tackling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – namely SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) – participants got to take part in promoting sustainable nutrition practices by exploring ways to support breastfeeding mothers and emphasizing the nutritional value of breast milk, its role in building immunity and its positive impact on maternal and offspring health.

Under the tutelage of Nursing Program Director Bahia Abdallah, students gathered at LAU’s Clinical Simulation Center – a specialized medical training facility that caters to healthcare students and professionals across disciplines – where they engaged in hands-on activities and delved into the physical and emotional intricacies of breastfeeding and its impact on all genders.

Given the workshop’s benefit in enriching the program’s curriculum, the students were taken out of their role as mere spectators and pushed to become participants in a process that equips them with skills and knowledge beyond the academic realm.

“The beauty of this workshop being part of their overall education at LAU,” said Assistant Professor of Nutrition Rana Rizk, “lies in how it immerses our students in experiences that enrich their understanding, broaden their perspectives and equip them with skills that are relevant in the field of nutrition.”

The lactation workshop is just one facet of this holistic approach, acting as another shining example of how LAU nurtures well-rounded professionals to make effective contributions in their domains.

“As nutritionists and dietitians, part of their role is to promote, support and protect breastfeeding, among other things,” noted Dr. Abdallah. “The more they know about it, the more they can advance it and be advocates for mothers, families, and communities. It’s important to highlight the sub-specialties in nutrition because there’s so much more to it than meets the eye.”

The distinguishing factor of this workshop and others similar to it at LAU is the inclusion of experiential learning, added Dr. Rizk. “Offering empirical practice while studying for the profession itself easily opens up plenty of doors for our students. This way, they’ll go into their jobs having already acquired the skills needed for excellence.”

The hope at the end of the day, be it through workshops, programs or activities as reflected by both Dr. Abdallah and Dr. Rizk, is to pave the way for a future generation of experts poised to shape healthier, more informed communities worldwide.

Nursing Courses

As part of our nursing curriculum, students learn about sexual and reproductive health in several nursing courses. Those courses are NUR 340, 320, NUR 441, and NUR 443.

NUR320 Health and Illness Concepts I

[4–0, 4 cr.]

In this introductory course students gain knowledge of concepts associated with individual health and illness requiring nursing care.  Concepts introduced are cellular regulation, conception/reproduction, sexuality, immunity, nutrition, oxygenation, perfusion, and stress and coping.

Prerequisites: NUR201 Fundamentals of Nursing & Health Assessment, NUR210 Professional Nursing Concepts, NUR230 Nursing Cooperative Experience I, and BIO222 Microbiology, A human perspective

Co-requisites: NUR310 Pathophysiology for Nursing Practice and NUR340 Core Nursing Practicum I

NUR340 Core Nursing Practicum I

[0–9, 3 cr.]

In this course students learn to deliver clinical care for multigenerational families in medical-surgical and maternity/nursery hospital settings. Students apply selected concepts related to health and illness and professional nursing, and use the nursing process to provide patient care.

Prerequisites: NUR201 Fundamentals of Nursing & Health Assessment and NUR210 Professional Nursing Concepts, and NUR230 Nursing Cooperative Experience I

Co-requisites: NUR312 Pharmacology for Nursing Practice and NUR320 Health & Illness Concepts I

NUR441 Mental Health Clinical Intensive

[1 (2 for 7 weeks)–6 (12 for 7 weeks), 3 cr.]

This course includes clinical practice and didactic content that focuses on knowledge and skills relevant to the care of patients with acute and chronic mental health problems.

Students examine variations in foci of care for mental health patients. Concepts addressed include therapeutic communication, interpersonal relationships, intra/interpersonal violence, mood, anxiety, psychosis, and substance-related dysregulations. The clinical schedule includes inpatient, acute and chronic, and community experiences.

Prerequisites: NUR315 Health Care Research & Evidence-Based Practice, and NUR342 Core Nursing Practicum III

Co-requisite: NUR420 Health and Illness Concepts III

NUR443 Promotion of Healthy Lifestyles Clinical Intensive

[1 (2 for 7 weeks)–6 (12 for 7 weeks), 3 cr.]

This course builds upon knowledge and skills from nursing, behavioral and public health sciences to foster heathy life styles and promote, preserve and maintain the health of populations. Students will plan, implement and evaluate health education and behavior change programs in populations as well as small groups, including the family and its members, and the larger groups including the community. Students will incorporate concepts related to health promotion, illness prevention, change, motivation, education, leadership, advocacy, communication, power, anxiety, culture and human diversity. Course includes didactic and clinical experiences. Clinical experiences are designed to enhance collaborating effectively with interdisciplinary team members, in community settings.

Prerequisites: NUR315 Health Care Research & Evidence-Based Practice and NUR342 Core Nursing Practicum III

Co-requisite: NUR420 Health & Illness Concepts III