(Santa Ana) – Orange County Public Health Nurse, Patricia Place, RN was recently named 2002 Instructor of the Year from the University of Washington, Seattle’s prestigious Nurse Child Assessment Training (NCAST) program.

As a Supervising Public Health Nurse for the Nurse Family Partnership Program within the Orange County Health Care Agency, Place was recognized for her commitment and dedication to excellence in the promotion and use of NCAST tools in the community. As an NCAST instructor, she has provided training to more than 150 Orange County Public Health Field Nurses for the past 12 years.

“Pat’s dedication and enthusiasm in teaching the NCAST tools further enhances the services and programs the Health Care Agency’s Public Health Field Nurses provide to the Orange County community,” said Kathleen Parris, Director of Public Health Nursing.

During Place’s NCAST training classes, attendees are taught how to use and interpret assessment scales, designed to evaluate whether a caregiver/parent-child relationship contains problems within their interaction and communication patterns. Nurses are then able to apply this knowledge to educate the parent/caregiver in understanding and recognizing infant/toddler cues that are often displayed to signal their needs.

Place joined the NCAST program in 1987 and soon became certified in using the assessment scales. In 1990, she then became an Orange County NCAST instructor for public health field nursing and has since taught a new NCAST class and four re-certification classes each year. For more information on the NCAST training program, visit www.ncast.org.