Program Aim: The FAST Foundations program is intended to provide training in the foundational knowledge necessary to effectively deliver Psychological First Aid (PFA) to children, adolescents, adults, and families in the immediate aftermath of disaster.
Target Audience: FAST Foundations was designed for Florida Department of Health Special Needs Shelter Team members, Florida Department of Health personnel, State of Florida Disaster Behavioral Health Response Team members, and other disaster responders whose functional role and responsibilities include providing PFA to disaster survivors.
Program Goals:
Define and describe Psychological First Aid.
List the basic objectives of Psychological First Aid.
Identify guidelines for delivering Psychological First Aid to adults, children, older adults and persons with disabilities.
Identify guidelines for delivering Psychological First Aid to adults, children, older adults and persons with disabilities.
Identify things that the Psychological First Aid provider should know and do when preparing to deliver Psychological First Aid.
Recognize survivors who are at increased risk for adverse psychosocial outcomes.
Identify the 8 Core Actions of Psychological First Aid and the related goal(s) and key tasks.
Pre-requisite: The FAST Foundations program does not have any pre-requisite course requirements. It is important to note that this course serves as the required pre-requisite training to the on-site, instructor-led, skills-based, Disaster Behavioral Health First Aid Specialist Training (FAST) programs (B-FASTplusSN or C-FAST) developed and delivered by the FCPHP.
Program Modules: The Disaster Behavioral Health First Aid Specialist Training (FAST) Foundations course manual, Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide (2nd Edition), contains three main sections.
Psychological First Aid: Introduction and Overview
Preparing to Deliver Psychological First Aid
Psychological First Aid Core Actions
It is recommended that the participant take a break after each section. This allows the participant time to think about and more fully process the material. Later, the knowledge the participant gained in the course can be applied to the participants functional role and responsibilities in disaster response work.
Program Length:The estimated time to complete this course is 4 hours.
Program Agenda: FAST Foundations is an asynchronous, Internet-based, distance learning course.
Registration Information: Completion of the course pre-assessment serves as registration for this program.
Registration Fee: There is no registration fee.
Relevant Bioterrorism and Emergency Readiness Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Source: Emergency Preparedness Core Competencies for All Public Health Workers, Columbia University, 2002):
Describe his/her functional role(s) in emergency response.
Describe communication role(s) in emergency response.
Identify limits to own knowledge/skill/authority and identify key system resources for referring matters that exceed these limits.
Describe communication roles in emergency response.
Recognize unusual events that might indicate an emergency and describe appropriate action.
Apply creative problem solving and flexible thinking to unusual challenges within his/her functional responsibilities.
Related Disaster Mental Health Competencies for Disaster Response Personnel (Source: Proposed Consensus Core Competencies in Disaster Mental Health for Disaster Response Personnel, CDC Centers for Public Health Preparedness Mental Health and Psychosocial Preparedness Collaborative Group, June 2006):
The biopsychosocial and cultural manifestations of human stress.
Phases of psychosocial disaster and recovery reactions.
The effects of psychological trauma and disaster-related losses and hardships.
Incident management structure and the role of disaster mental health in a multidisciplinary disaster response.
Disaster mental health intervention principles.
Crisis intervention(s) with disaster affected individuals.
Continuing Education: This online Fast Foundations program has been approved by the Suwannee River Area Health Education Center (SRAHEC) for 4 hours of continuing education credit (CEC) for nurses, licensed mental health counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists. It has been approved for 3.5 hours of CEC credit for certified health education specialists.
To apply for CECs, program participants must demonstrate successful completion of all course requirements.
Credits for this online program are awarded only in conjunction with the successful completion of an appropriate on-site Disaster Behavioral Health First Aid Specialist Training (B-FASTplusSN or C-FAST). In other words, credits are not available after you complete this online course. The credits will be available after you complete an appropriate on-site course.
Program Developers and Sponsors:
This program was developed by the Florida Center for Public Health Preparedness at the University of South Florida College of Public Health. It is based on needs identified through several sources, including Florida Department of Health strategic plans and recommendations by members of the Florida Association of County Health Officers (FACHO), other State and county public health officials, and participants in past FCPHP programs. The development and delivery of this program are supported by funding from a cooperative agreement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association of Schools of Public Health.
Events of the University of South Florida are available without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status as provided by law and in accordance with the Universitys respect for personal dignity.
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