Practical Skills

a practice experience that is relevant to students’ areas of specialization.

2.4.a. Description of the program’s policies and procedures regarding practice placements, including the following: selection of sites methods for approving preceptors opportunities for orientation and support for receptors approaches for faculty supervision of students means of evaluating student performance means of evaluating practice placement sites and preceptor qualifications criteria for waiving, altering or reducing the experience, if applicable.

The Program’s policies and procedures as they relate to successful completion of the practicum are described in the EKU Master of Public Health Practicum Manual

(http://www.mph.eku.edu/mph-student-guides). These include practice placements, selection of sites, and faculty supervision of students. Policies and procedures that relate to administration of the practicum are included in the MPH Policies and Procedures Manual

(http://www.mph.eku.edu/mph-student-guides). These include policies to prohibit waiving the experience, criteria and methods for approving preceptors, and means for evaluating practice placement sites and preceptor qualifications.

Selection of sites

The MPH Program faculty believes a wide range of organizations and agencies can provide the most appropriate and valuable field practicum experiences for MPH students. Therefore, the MPH option coordinators work closely with students to identify and arrange field practicum sites that meet the requirements of the practicum and the specific needs of individual students regarding their own career interests and according to specified criteria. In general, any

organization that provides, plans for, coordinates, organizes, pays for, or regulates public health services is potentially appropriate as a practicum training site for EKU Public Health graduate students.

Typically, option coordinators identify a site and discuss its potential with the Director. The EHS faculty work closely in conjunction with EKU’s coop office to provide additional opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable. The Program Director sometimes identifies a potential

practicum site to suggest to an option coordinator. Overall considerations used to select a site are described below.

The MPH Practicum Manual explicitly states the Program expectations of the practicum site as follows: “The site shall make its facilities available to be used for educational purposes. The site shall provide the student access to available information or sources of information which will further his or her education while assigned to the site.” The time, location, and circumstances of all training is approved and mutually agreed upon prior to the practicum by the faculty and site supervisors. The Practicum Manual outlines the selection and approval process for students.

The site selection considerations are:

Availability of a site supervisor who is appropriately prepared through education and/or

professional experience and who is willing and able to spend time with the student and provide guidance. Ideally, site supervisors should have a master’s degree in public health or a related

Availability of other good role models with appropriate preparation through education and/or professional experience.

Good understanding of the educational needs of students, including the need to increase student responsibility and independence gradually.

Willingness to provide support, ranging from a desk and a phone to stipends or salary, transportation, and lodging.

Appropriateness, as related to student’s career goals and area of concentration.

Methods for approving preceptors

Practicum placements occur with Preceptors who work at approved practicum sites. All

practicum placements occur at sites with which the Program has established a formal Affiliation Agreement exists. The MPH Program Director is responsible for developing and maintaining affiliations with appropriate and approved local, state, and federal governmental agencies, industry, and institutions. Once an appropriate and approved local, state, and federal

governmental agency, industry, and/or institutions has been identified as a potential practicum site, Option Coordinators submit a request to the Director for Program approval of the potential site, using the Clinical or Coop Agreement form (see form on site). The Director or the Coop office then works with the CHS Dean’s Office to initiate and complete the college-level (and, if necessary, University-level) approval process and affiliation agreement.

Opportunities for orientation and support for preceptors

The option coordinator, the MPH director and/or the Coop office work individually with

preceptors to provide any support needed. Many companies and agencies come to the EKU campus to recruit students for practicums, internships and job opportunities. Each of these has been vetted in many instances by the University Coop office as there are written MOUs with industrial facilities, agencies and the University.

Approaches for faculty supervision of students

Faculty supervisors are available to facilitate student learning experiences during practicum placement and assist the student to assess the quality of these experiences on a formative basis through regular contact with the student and the practicum supervisor. In addition, the MPH Program Director formally reviews student evaluations of the practice sites, experiences, and preceptors at the conclusion of each practicum experience (see Resource File Practicum Manual). Site evaluation and continuation is based not only on the student evaluations of practicum sites but the quality of preceptor evaluations of student performance as well.

Means of evaluating student performance

A review of student evaluations of the practice sites, experiences, and preceptors evaluations of the students at the conclusion of each practicum experience

Means of evaluating practice placement sites and preceptor qualifications

Review of former student evaluations of the practice sites and faculty who visit the site both before and after students have been assigned. Preceptors are vetted by faculty and the University in most instances. Program faculty will evaluate personnel at county and state health departments and contact other public health personnel for references if there are concerns raised by our Advisory Council members. Coop sites are vetted by the Coop office and the university as well as by faculty and students who have worked at these facilities.

Criteria for waiving, altering or reducing the experience, if applicable Not applicable; all students are required to complete a practicum.

2.4.b. Identification of agencies and preceptors used for practice experiences for students, by specialty area, for the last two academic years.

Tables 2.4.b.1 and 2.4.b.2 below provide lists of agencies and preceptors used for practice experience by MPH option for the last two academic years. The preceptors and agencies for each degree option are selected based on educational credentials and appropriate training in the specialty area. Although not a requirement of this criterion, it is important to note that preceptors for MPH students in Community Health Education may or may not be the same for students in the BS in Public Health program. For example, both MPH-CHE students and BSPH students complete practice experiences in local public health departments. However, the nature of the job or experience is what distinguishes the graduate practicum experience from the undergraduate internship experience. MPH students are often given policy, research, planning and evaluation, and administrative types of tasks/projects. However, BSPH students are often engaged directly in health education, health promotion and outreach with/to individuals in settings that are not typically used for MPH students such as school family resource centers or worksite wellness facilities.

Table 2.4.b.1 Community Health Practicum Locations 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13

Agency Preceptor Date

Madison County Health Department, Diabetes

Center of Excellence Kim DeCoste Summer 2010

Kentucky Tobacco Policy Research Program,

University of Kentucky College of Nursing Ellen Hahn Summer 2010 Southern Kentucky Area Health Education

Center Dwain Harris Summer 2010

Madison County Health Department Ruth Hawkins Fall 2010 Kentucky Department for Public Health, Division

of Maternal and Child Health Sandy Fawbush Spring 2011 Madison County Health Department, Diabetes

Center of Excellence Kim DeCoste Spring 2011

Rockcastle Medical Arts (RHC) Brandy Bullock Spring 2011 Kentucky AIDS Education Training Center &

Bluegrass Care HIV/AIDS Clinic Jennifer Edwards Summer 2011

Upward Bound/Woodson Institute Vicki Dye Summer 2011

Catholic Health Initiatives, Continuing Care

Agency Preceptor Date

Kentucky Injury Prevention Research Center Sabrina Walsh Fall 2011 Madison County Health Department Ruth Hawkins Fall 2011 Harlan Appalachian Regional Healthcare,

Infection Control Connie Maggard Fall 2011

The Corner Health Center (Ypsalanti, MI) Kathryn Fessler Summer 2012 Kentucky Association of Food Banks Tamara Sandberg Summer 2012 University of Kentucky, Dental Public Health

Program Joanna Aalboe Summer 2012

Madison County Health Department Kelly Owens Spring 2012 Jessamine County Health Department Andrea Brown Spring 2012 Kentucky Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Center/ Bluegrass Regional Prevention Center Laure Nagle Spring 2012

Table 2.4.b.2 Environmental Health Science Practicum Locations 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13

Agency Preceptor Date

Critter Control Chris Christensen August 2011

Owens Corning Corporation Joe Jefferies August 2011

Environmental Concerns Inc. Pete Gibson August 2011

Madison County Health Department Ruth Hawkins August 2011

Joy Mining Michael Sears August 2011

AERA Bob Sterling, CIH August 2011

Madison County Health Department Nancy Crewe December 2011

Catalent Pharma Maryellen Nieminen December 2011

General Electric Jim Strasler May 2012

Heaven’s Harvest Food Pantry Judi DeRossett August 2012 Lexington-Fayette County Health Department Luke Jacobs August 2012

Agency Preceptor Date US Public Health Service LTJG Tim Shelhamer August 2012 EKU Environmental Health and Safety Office Bryan Makinen August 2012

Environmental Concerns Inc. Pete Gibson August 2012

KY DOT Michael Black August 2012

UPS Jason Reynolds August 2012

Madison County Health Department Ruth Hawkins August 2012

General Electric Jim Strasler August 2012

General Electric Jim Strasler August 2012

KY OSHA Dr. Stephanie

Mayfield

August 2012

Blue Grass Chemical Activity Jess Begley August 2012

2.4.c. Data on the number of students receiving a waiver of the practice experience for each of the last three years.

No students have received a waiver on the practicum experience.

2.4.d. Data on the number of preventive medicine, occupational medicine, aerospace medicine and general preventive medicine and public health residents completing the academic program for each of the last three years, along with information on their practicum rotations.

Not applicable

2.4.e. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.

.

This criterion is met.

Strengths

- The Program has established relationships with a variety of agencies and preceptors for student practice experiences. Over 90% of the EHS practicums are paid with a variety in private and public institutions. CHE has practicums in local and our service region health departments and students receive a $3000 stipend if serving in an underserved county health department from the KAPHTC as part of our partnership.

conducted over a longer period of time and that offers flexibility to accommodate the student’s work schedule. In an effort to increase the number of practice experiences with flexibility, the faculty that supervise practice experience should continue to develop relationships with agencies that are willing to accommodate student schedules. We will be contacting other agencies in both public and private areas for practicums. Additionally, to provide a greater likelihood for a direct path to a public health job, we are planning to contact the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) for our CHE students.

2.5 Culminating Experience. All graduate professional degree programs identified in the