State of the College of Health Sciences Address, 2014: All Hands on Deck

PDF of powerpoint presentation for the State of the College of Health Sciences Address on August 20, 2014

State of the College of Health Sciences Address, 2016: All Aboard 30th Anniversary Cruise

PDF of powerpoint presentation for the State of the College of Health Sciences Address on August 31, 2016

State of the College of Health Sciences Address, 2012: Sailing Into the Future

PDF of powerpoint presentation for the State of the College of Health Sciences Address on August 20, 2012

State of the College of Health Sciences, 2013: Voyaging to the Waypoint

PDF of powerpoint presentation for the State of the College of Health Sciences Address on September 4, 2013. Includes New Faculty & Staff Introductions and Welcome

State of the College of Health Sciences Address, 2015: Sailing Uncharted Waters

PDF of powerpoint presentation for the State of the College of Health Sciences Address on August 20, 2015

Redefining Faculty Workloads in a Physical Therapy Department: A Case Study

The purpose of this case study is to describe the creation and implementation of a sustainable workload model in the physical therapy department, as well as the outcomes resulting from that structure. Between 2002 and 2009, both scholarly productivity and faculty practice activity increased as a result of the redistribution of faculty efforts created by the new workload structure. This case demonstrates how the department has been able to successfully expand research and faculty practice while maintaining a high quality educational experience. The workload guidelines have enabled the collective core faculty to be productive in teaching, research/scholarship and service.

A Survey of High School Seniors\u27 Career Choices: Implications for Allied Health

This paper describes a research study conducted using a survey instrument to determine what factors influence high school seniors when making decisions related to future careers and college education. Students were asked to indicate what careers they intended to pursue, what people and factors influenced their careers choices, and their familiarity with and impressions of the allied health professions. The majority indicated that personal satisfaction, employment opportunities, and income were the most important factors influencing their career choices. Although 76.5% of the respondents had a favorable impression of allied health, only 15% indicated that they were very familiar with the allied health professions. The results here and in other studies point to lack of knowledge rather than lack of interest as the leading cause of enrollment vacancies in allied health curricula

Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Cytotechnology Graduate and Undergraduate Students\u27 Attitudes Toward Teamwork Before and After Participation in an Interprofessional Education Experience

BACKGROUND Educating health professional (HP) students in environments wherein they can learn about, from, and with each other can prepare them for interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP), which may positively impact patient safety and satisfaction (Brashers et al., 2015; Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative [HPAC], 2019). IPCP is characterized by effective communication, shared values, respect for diverse disciplines and teamwork among health professionals (IOM, 2015). However, professional silos in practice can foster competition rather than collaboration. Knowledge of HP roles and responsibilities is a primary tenet of IPCP (Interprofessional Educational Collaborative [IPEC], 2011). PURPOSE An interprofessional education (IPE) approach that combined book reading, a presentation by the author of the book, and small group discussion of a case study focused on patient safety was used to introduce students to HP roles and responsibilities and to highlight the benefits of IPCP. Patient safety is an effective platform for engaging students in IPE learning and exposing them to the benefits of teamwork and interprofessional collaboration as demonstrated in this study. METHOD Block randomization was used to assign graduate and undergraduate students (N=167) to interprofessional groups for the IPE learning, including case discussions. There were 20 groups of 8 students and one group with the remaining 7 students. The group compositions were reviewed and it was verified prior to data collection that each group had interprofessional representation of students based on their programs of study. Most students in our sample had two or more prior IPE experiences. Pre- and post-participation attitudes about teamwork were assessed using the Teamwork, Roles, and Responsibilities (TRR) subscale of the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (IPAS). RESULTS There were significant changes in student attitudes toward teamwork (p \u3c .05) and significant differences in scores based on discipline, prior IPE learning and level (graduate or undergraduate) with moderate to large effect sizes. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates how IPE can be implemented through co-curricular learning to build upon prior IPE learning to improve both graduate and undergraduate students’ attitudes toward teamwork

Health Professions Students\u27 Attitudes Toward Teamwork Before and After an Interprofessional Education Co-Curricular Experience

Background: Effective interprofessional collaboration may positively impact clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost effectiveness. However, educational silos and discipline-specific socialization have reinforced each health profession’s independent values, attitudes, and problem-solving approaches. Methods and Findings: Students’ (N = 376) attitudes about teamwork were measured with the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale, Teamwork, Roles, and Responsibilities subscale using a pretest-posttest design. Experiential learning strategies and a case study approach were used to introduce students to the roles and responsibilities of the students’ disciplines. There was a positive mean difference in pretest-posttest measures (p \u3c .001) with a moderate effect size (r = .27). Conclusions: Providing opportunities for pre-licensure health sciences students to understand the roles and responsibilities of other disciplines through IPE co-curricular learning can enhance positive attitudes toward teamwork

The effects of institutional context on critical thinking in the workplace

The purpose of this research was to identify and describe the critical thinking (CT) skills and dispositional traits that are evident in professional practice. The interrelation and interaction of the essential skills for CT can be described. However, dispositional traits and organizational factors and their collective impact on CT must be considered. The importance of consideration of the context when attempting to explain or facilitate CT in practice is advocated