Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals

Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals is comprehensive foundational eating disorder training developed specifically for fertility care professionals including obstetricians, gynecologists, mental health professionals, dietitians, nurses, naturopaths and herbalists.

The training will equip fertility care professionals with the knowledge and skills to identify and respond when a person is experiencing an eating disorder, understand shared care in the stepped system of care, and prevent and minimise harm for eating disorders in the context of fertility care.  
 
Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals is a 90-minute, self-paced and interactive online training and 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. 

Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals includes five modules which align 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 Modules

The five modules include:

  • Module 1: Early Identification (Part 1) covers an introduction to eating disorder diagnoses, their prevalence and impact.
  • Module 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.
  • Module 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.
  • Module 4: Shared Care focuses on the knowledge needed by a fertility care health professional to provide shared care and support a person towards recovery.
  • Module 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 resources 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. 

Continuing Professional Development

Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals is accredited, endorsed or approved by the following professional bodies:

  • Approved for Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) CPD 2023, EA: 1.50
  • Approved by Australian Psychological Society (APS)
  • Endorsed by Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN)
  • Endorsed by Australian Association of Psychologists Inc (AAPi)
  • Accredited by Naturopaths & Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA) as 1.5 hours of CPD (formal learning - other activities)
  • Approved by Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)



Accessing the Training

Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals is available free of charge to all NEDC members.

How to access the training:

1. Log in or become a member of NEDC (membership with NEDC is free)

2. Once you are logged in, go to your personal dashboard on the NEDC website

3. On your personal dashboard, click 'Start Course' or 'Continue Course' to access the training

4. You will be directed to NEDC's learning management system, where you will have access to Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals

For an optimal learning experience, we recommend accessing the training from a desktop or laptop computer and using the browser Google Chrome.

Evaluation of the Training

NEDC is committed to the ongoing improvement of our resources. In collaboration with Monash University, NEDC are conducting an evaluation of Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals to better understand the confidence and capacity of health professionals in fertility to identify disordered eating and eating disorders in fertility care settings, manage referrals, and reduce weight stigma. The evaluation involves the completion of a series of questionnaires, and you will also have the option to participate in an interview.

The research involves a series of questionnaires and the option of participating in an interview, as well as successfully complete Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals. When you commence the training, you will receive further information and links within the portal. The explanatory statement can be accessed here

Follow the steps above to access the training and get started now! 

By participating in the training and evaluation, you will not only enhance your own knowledge and confidence but will also contribute to the broader fields of fertility care and eating disorders. 

Please share this training and accompanying resource with people in your network who may be interested.

Want to learn more?

Want to hear more about eating disorders and fertility care? You can hear from NEDC's National Manager, Dr Sarah Trobe, speak on Butterfly's Let's Talk podcast. Access the episode here.