When it comes to children, every day seems to be a learning experience. Whether you are a new parent or a parent of four, USA Health Children's & Women's Hospital provides education and training to cover a range of topics that affect families in every stage. We offer a variety of classes and trainings to educate parents, children, nurses and other healthcare employees. Most classes are free or have a nominal fee to cover the cost of take-home materials. USA Health offers classes year-round.
Continuing education credits for clinical staff are also available at Children's & Women's Hospital. Classes are open to our employees, as well as to healthcare providers in the community.
To register for available classes, contact the Education Department at (251) 415-1685 or learn more about the programs offered below.
Payments are accepted by check, money order, cash or credit card.
Checks or money orders should be made payable to: USACW Education Department.
Credit card payments are accepted by calling (251) 415-1685.
Mail payments for classes to:
USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital
Education Department
1700 Center Street
Mobile, AL 36604
Resources for families include information on preparing for childbirth, going through labor and delivery, and the benefits of breastfeeding.
Advance reservations are required and may be made by calling (251) 415-1685. Advance payment is required to confirm your reservation. We do not offer refunds, but rescheduling is allowed. Please do not bring children to these classes.
All classes are held in USA Children's & Women's Hospital's Multipurpose Conference Room. The conference room is located on the first floor of the children's section of the hospital and is next to the surgery waiting room.
The Preparing for Childbirth class reviews multiple topics including changes in pregnancy, overview of labor, comfort techniques, medical interventions, explanation of vaginal and cesarean births, and postpartum recovery. The class, held on Saturdays, includes a tour of maternity areas. Expectant mothers should plan to attend when they are approximately 28 weeks, or seven months.
Fee per couple: $30 (includes a box lunch)
Class times: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This one-time class provides an overview of the labor process. Topics include changes in pregnancy, overview of vaginal and cesarean births, and medical interventions. This class includes a tour of the maternity areas. Classes are held every other month.
Fee per couple: $15 (includes a light snack)
Class times: 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Children's & Women's Hospital fully supports mothers who choose to breastfeed. This one-night class reviews the benefits and basics of breastfeeding for expectant mothers and newly delivered mothers, along with their support person(s). Topics include correct positioning, how to get baby latched, facts vs. myths, engorgement, returning to work and problem solving. If you deliver at Children's & Women's Hospital, our on-staff lactation consultants are there to help you and the baby through those important first steps of breastfeeding.
Fee per couple: Free for USA deliveries, $15 for non-USA deliveries
Class times: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital and Kohl’s Department Stores have embarked on an ambitious program to help babies sleep safely. Kohl's Cares provides outreach resources for our nurses to teach parents and caregivers about safe sleep habits for babies.
The KISS program also includes “Kohl’s Cribs for Kids,” which provides qualifying Mobile County families free Pack ‘n Play cribs. These cribs can help reduce deaths due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other unsafe sleep habits.
Your baby is safest when sleeping alone in a crib. It can be dangerous for a baby to sleep with an adult or sibling, on a couch, or in other unsafe sleep environments.
USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital, through MOM Care (Mobile’s Medicaid Maternity Program), provides education and training for qualifying families on proper sleep for the baby. When a qualifying family completes the program, they receive a free crib.
ThinkFirst is a award-winning program from the National Injury Prevention Foundation that educates individuals, community leaders and public policymakers about the prevention of brain, spinal cord and other traumatic injuries. Every year, approximately 500,000 people in the United States sustain a spinal cord or brain injury. Injury is the leading cause of death among children and teens. The most frequent causes of these injuries are motor vehicle accidents, violence, sports and recreation accidents, and falls.
ThinkFirst Mobile, an outreach of USA Children's & Women's Hospital, presents programs to students in elementary through high school. Students learn how risk-taking behaviors and poor decisions may lead to devastating consequences. ThinkFirst Mobile serves Mobile, Baldwin and surrounding counties. The sponsoring physician of ThinkFirst Mobile is USA pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Anthony Martino, and the chapter director is Mary Wilstrup, RN.
ThinkFirst For Kids is designed to help elementary-age children develop safety habits to minimize their risk of sustaining brain, spinal cord and other traumatic injuries. Students are introduced to brain and spinal cord anatomy; vehicle, water, bicycle, sports and recreational safety; weapon safety; and creative problem-solving.
ThinkFirst For Teens targets middle school and high school students with the injury prevention message "Use Your Mind to Protect Your Body." The program includes a lesson on the brain and spinal cord anatomy, physical results of injuries and ways to prevent life-changing injuries. ThinkFirst For Teens reviews vehicle, water, bicycle, sports, recreational, weapons safety and creative problem-solving.
For more information or to schedule a presentation of ThinkFirst in your school, call (251) 415-1547 or email mboles@usouthal.edu. For more information about ThinkFirst, visit www.thinkfirst.org.
Alabama nurses must have their board of nursing license with them to receive continuing education (CE) credit at the end of any classes at USA Children's & Women's Hospital.
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Working with local police and legislators, USA College of Medicine Trauma Surgeon Dr. Jon Simmons and his team were able to push for a new law enacted in September that requires all hospitals in Alabama to report gunshot wounds to law enforcement.
The October Med School Café will feature Christopher Keel, D.O., a urologist with University Urology and adjunct assistant professor of surgery at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.
Bassam Bassam, M.D., director of the neuromuscular program at USA Health and professor of neurology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, is the invited speaker at the University of Kansas Medical Center Neuromuscular Review Course to be held in Orange Beach, Alabama, on Oct. 5.
Med School Café is a free community lecture series sponsored by the USA Health Physicians Group. Each month, faculty from the USA College of Medicine share their expertise on a specific medical condition, providing insight on the latest treatment available. The USA Faculty Club is located at 6348 Fincher Road on the University of South Alabama's main campus.
