guide the development of degree programs. The program must identify competencies for graduate professional, academic and baccalaureate public health degree programs.
Additionally, the program must identify competencies for specializations within the degree programs at all levels (bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral).
a. Identification of a set of competencies that all graduate professional public health degree students and baccalaureate public health degree students, regardless of concentration, major or specialty area, must attain. There should be one set for each graduate professional public health degree and baccalaureate public health degree offered by the program (eg, one set each for BSPH, MPH and DrPH).
UNF MPH Program Core Competencies: Graduates will be able to demonstrate:
1. understanding and skills in applying biostatistics and research methodology for effective collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of health related scientific data.
2. knowledge and applied skills for studying, understanding and analyzing the distribution and determinants of health related states or events in human populations in order to provide information for public health decision-making and action.
3. understanding and skills to address complex issues involved in the ecology of public health problems related to aspects of the environment for purposes of identification, investigation and mitigation of environmental risk factors.
4. understanding of the areas of policy, economics, finance, marketing, quality, and accessibility that are necessary to effectively manage public health care organizations and services.
5. ability to search, identify, organize, critically appraise, and understand peer-reviewed research findings relevant to specific public health topics.
6. ability to develop and complete an independent public health practice or research project focused on a specific health related program or problem.
7. skills related to effectively communicate public health issues, data, and information.
b. Identification of a set of competencies for each concentration, major or specialization (depending on the terminology used by the program) identified in the instructional matrix, including professional and academic graduate degree curricula and baccalaureate public health degree curricula.
UNF MPH Health Promotion/Health Education Concentration Competencies: Graduates will be able to demonstrate:
1. knowledge and skills necessary to plan and implement an evidence-based health program that reflects social, economic, cultural, and behavioral factors of the community.
2. knowledge and skills necessary to design and implement theoretically-based, and developmentally and culturally appropriate learning strategies.
Page | 81 c. A matrix that identifies the learning experiences (eg, specific course or activity within a course, practicum, culminating experience or other degree requirement) by which the competencies defined in Criteria 2.6.a and 2.6.b are met. If these are common across the program, a single matrix for each degree will suffice. If they vary, sufficient information must be provided to assess compliance by each degree or specialty area.
Table 2.6.1.a. Core Courses by Which Competencies Are Met (Primary (P) & Reinforcing (R)) Core Competencies PHC 6103: Ess of PH PHC 6050: Biostats I HSC 6505: Epi HSA 6114: Hlth Orgl HSC 6215: Env Health HSC 6735: Research HSC 6603: Theory
1. understanding/skills in applying biostatistics and research methodology for effective collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of health related scientific data.
P R P
2. knowledge/applied skills for studying, understanding and analyzing the distribution and determinants of health related states or events in human populations in order to provide information for public health decision-making and action.
P
3. understanding/skills to address complex issues involved in the ecology of public health problems related to aspects of the environment for purposes of identification, investigation and mitigation of environmental risk factors.
P
4. understanding of the areas of policy, economics, finance, marketing, quality, and accessibility that are necessary to effectively manage public health care organizations, services.
P P
5. ability to search, identify, organize, critically appraise, and understand peer-reviewed research findings relevant to specific public health topics.
P P P
6. ability to develop/complete independent public health practice/ research project focused on specific health program or problem. 7. skills related to effectively communicate public health issues,
data, and information. P P P
UNF MPH Program Concentration: HPHE
1. knowledge and skills necessary to plan and implement an evidence-based health program that reflects social, economic, cultural, and behavioral factors of the community
P
2. knowledge/skills necessary to design and implement theoretically-based, and developmentally and culturally appropriate learning strategies.
P
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Table 2.6.1.b. Concentration Courses by Which Competencies Are Met (Primary (P) & Reinforcing (R)) Concentration Competencies HSC 6587: Program Planning in Health HSC 6585: Health Promotion/Ed Strategies HSC 6716: Health Program Evaluation PHC 6940: Public Health Capstone PHC 6945: Public Health Internship
1. understanding and skills in applying biostatistics and research methodology for effective collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of health related scientific data.
R R
2. knowledge and applied skills for studying, understanding and analyzing the distribution and determinants of health related states or events in human populations in order to provide information for public health decision-making and action.
R R R
3. understanding and skills to address complex issues involved in the ecology of public health problems related to aspects of the
environment for purposes of identification, investigation and mitigation of environmental risk factors.
R R R
4. understanding of the areas of policy, economics, finance,
marketing, quality, and accessibility that are necessary to effectively manage public health care organizations and services.
R R
5. ability to search, identify, organize, critically appraise, and understand peer-reviewed research findings relevant to specific public health topics.
P P
6. ability to develop and complete an independent public health practice or research project focused on a specific health related program or problem.
P P
7. skills related to effectively communicate public health issues, data,
and information. P P P P P
UNF MPH Program Concentration: HPHE
1. knowledge and skills necessary to plan and implement an evidence- based health program that reflects social, economic, cultural, and behavioral factors of the community
P R R R
2. knowledge and skills necessary to design and implement
theoretically-based, and developmentally and culturally appropriate learning strategies.
P R R
Page | 83 d. Analysis of the completed matrix included in Criterion 2.6.c. If changes have been made in the curricula as a result of the observations and analysis, such changes should be described.
Faculty members meet regularly to discuss core and specialization area content; in particular they discuss alignment with program competencies and coverage of competencies. Revisions to the curriculum are based on faculty member expertise and continuing education on public health education training trends, feedback from student surveys (current students, graduating students and alumni), as well as advisory board input. Competency outcome data as measured by GALCs and comprehensive examination results are also considered. Course syllabi are regularly reviewed and discussed at program meetings and yearly summer retreats to ensure inclusion of the important and current core and specialization area competencies and to enhance integration across the curriculum.
In 2009, the first year the UNF MPH Program was accredited, the program was 48 credit hours. Effective for the fall 2010 MPH cohort, faculty voted to remove three required courses and allowed students to instead take three elective courses. The courses removed were: PHC 6412 Culture and Health, PHC 6450 Community Organization in Public Health, and HSC 6706
Grantsmanship. It was determined that information in these courses was either adequately covered in other required courses and/or not directly linked to the program competencies. It was also agreed that it was more important to give students the option to choose courses specific to their career goals, and that these courses would still be available to be taken as electives. At this time it was also decided to divide the six credit hour PHC 6940 Public Health Capstone course into two three credit courses: PHC 6940 Public Health Capstone and PHC 6945 Public Health Internship. The Capstone course was divided to allow students a longer time to more meaningfully prepare for and carry out the internship. These decisions were made at a faculty retreat taking into consideration recommendations of an external reviewer, as well as the above listed means of program self-assessment. Effective for the fall 2012 MPH cohort, faculty voted to remove the required PHC 5370 Biological Foundations of Public Health course reducing the required credits to 45. This course was removed for the same reasons given above for the other courses, and also to bring the program down to 45 credit hours to be more in line with other accredited MPH programs.
e. Description of the manner in which competencies are developed, used and made available to students.
Development: MPH Program competencies were developed using a deliberate process that began in Fall 2006. Faculty members worked on: 1) development of core competencies and 2) development of HPHE concentration competencies. The core faculty members evaluated core areas, objectives, and competencies elucidated in several sources, including Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice, ASPH MPH Core Competency Development Project, and Institute of Medicine recommendations related to cross-cutting areas of knowledge and skills. The HPHE faculty members examined the Responsibilities and
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Competencies for Health Education Specialists delineated by NCHEC as the primary guideline for the development of competencies for the HPHE concentration. Both groups developed a set of competencies and sub-competencies. The Core Committee created unique competencies and sub-competencies using the documents listed above. The HPHE Committee used the NCHEC Responsibilities. The committee sought feedback from community partners such as advisory board members and preceptors. Faculty were then each asked to review the grids and indicate which of the competencies and sub-competencies were addressed in their courses and to what extent (primary or reinforcing). Faculty discussed the completed grids to identify overlap and areas needing to be addressed. (See Resource File for Core and HPHE Competency grids). The competencies have since been reviewed on a regular basis and revised as needed. Use of Competencies: The competencies are used to guide course development and objectives, the development of site selection and project development for internships, and the
development of the comprehensive examination. After initial development of the
competencies, critical examination of required courses revealed the need to modify some course objectives to ensure all competencies were being addressed and to prevent unnecessary duplication. The competencies are thus used to validate the content of the MPH core and HPHE concentration courses and to make appropriate changes to bring all course objectives in line. The competencies are also used as the GALCs that UNF requires each graduate program to delineate. UNF requires GALC outcome data to be reported on an annual basis.
Availability to Students: The competencies are made available to students in the following ways: 1) during orientation of new students, 2) through inclusion in and distribution of the MPH Student Handbook, 3) through course syllabi, 4) on the MPH website and Bb site, and 4) as part of the documentation used for student self-assessment on the exit and alumni surveys. (See Resource File for MPH Student Orientation PPT, MPH Student Handbook, and Student Self- Assessment data).
f. Description of the manner in which the program periodically assesses changing practice or research needs and uses this information to establish the competencies for its educational programs.
The MPH Program uses numerous methods to periodically assess the changing needs of public health practice.
MPH faculty members keep apprised of changes in educational needs by monitoring publications and discussion boards of various national organizations.
MPH faculty members participate in numerous professional and community-based organizations and conferences through which they learn of changing educational and practice trends.
The UNF Public Health Advisory Board provides feedback at meetings and through surveys to faculty concerning trends and changing priorities in the field of public health practice locally and nationally, as well as needed research.
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The program has relationships with numerous public health sites throughout the region. Many professionals from these agencies serve as internship preceptors for MPH interns and/or teach courses for the program. These professionals provide feedback formally through the internship process and informally in communications with program faculty about competency needs and trends.
Alumni surveys supply information about how well the program prepares graduates for employment in public health.
Student evaluations of the practice experience help to guide the program faculty regarding needs for training in specific areas.
The information gained from the above sources is reported and discussed at monthly program faculty meetings and the annual retreat. The faculty review and discuss these results/feedback and act on it accordingly, incorporating it into courses and/or communicating the findings to instructors not on the MPH faculty but teaching required MPH courses so that they may make appropriate changes. The process for this change is primarily at the individual faculty level. However, because these findings are shared and discussed in faculty meetings, the responsible faculty will discuss proposed changes to his/her respective course(s) and receive feedback and suggestions from colleagues.
g. 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.
Criterion 2.6 is met with commentary.
Strengths: The MPH Program has well defined and measurable learning competencies relevant to the core areas of public health and the concentration area of HPHE that are in agreement with the program’s stated mission. These competencies were developed and adopted through a rigorous analysis of widely-used sources relevant to basic core public health knowledge and skills. All students are required to take courses that address the competencies. The program has procedures for continual evaluation and modification of the competencies based upon feedback from all program faculty, external constituents, and students. Program faculty members are committed to a systematic process related to developing, updating, and disseminating this information.
Weaknesses and Plans: Through the self-study process, it was discovered that the competencies were not being disseminated to students as originally planned. The
competencies were not included in the New Student Orientation, the MPH Student Handbook or all course syllabi. They have since been added to these student resources and are now in place to be continued in future years.
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2.7 Assessment Procedures. There shall be procedures for assessing and documenting the