Promoting practice in public health academia: assessing impact on student education.

This article reviews the activities of an office of public health practice in a school of public health (SPH) and assesses their impact on master's of public health student training and education. The University of Michigan SPH established a Practice Office in 2005 to develop programs in community-based public health, workforce development, student training, and practice-based research. Student training objectives included increasing practice activity offerings and participation rates, ensuring participant satisfaction with activities, and raising the number of students seeking public health practice employment. According to student survey results from the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 academic years, the Practice Office achieved mixed success in meeting objectives. Approximately 50% of students participated in at least 1 activity, nearly 50% of students reported that the activities impacted their decision to pursue a practice career, and approximately 75% of students reported moderate to extensive public health practice experience on graduation, compared with 30% at the beginning of their degree program, although this change was not significantly different for those who had participated in Practice Office activities. Initiation of a systematic process to evaluate the impact of practice-based activities early in program development is recommended for all Practice Offices.

Assessing integration of clinical and public health skills in preventive medicine residencies: using competency mapping.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the utility of a competency mapping process for assessing the integration of clinical and public health skills in a newly developed Community Health Center (CHC) rotation at the University of Michigan School of Public Health Preventive Medicine residency. METHODS: Learning objectives for the CHC rotation were derived from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core clinical preventive medicine competencies. CHC learning objectives were mapped to clinical preventive medicine competencies specific to the specialty of public health and general preventive medicine. Objectives were also mapped to The Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice's tier 2 Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals. RESULTS: CHC learning objectives mapped to all 4 (100%) of the public health and general preventive medicine clinical preventive medicine competencies. CHC population-level learning objectives mapped to 32 (94%) of 34 competencies for public health professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing competency mapping to assess clinical-public health integration in a new CHC rotation proved to be feasible and useful. Clinical preventive medicine learning objectives for a CHC rotation can also address public health competencies.

Assessing integration of clinical and public health skills in preventive medicine residencies: using competency mapping.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the utility of a competency mapping process for assessing the integration of clinical and public health skills in a newly developed Community Health Center (CHC) rotation at the University of Michigan School of Public Health Preventive Medicine residency. METHODS: Learning objectives for the CHC rotation were derived from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core clinical preventive medicine competencies. CHC learning objectives were mapped to clinical preventive medicine competencies specific to the specialty of public health and general preventive medicine. Objectives were also mapped to The Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice's Tier-2 Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals. RESULTS: CHC learning objectives mapped to all four (100%) of the public health and general preventive medicine clinical preventive medicine competencies. CHC population-level learning objectives mapped to 32 (94%) of 34 competencies for public health professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing competency mapping to assess clinical-public health integration in a new CHC rotation proved to be feasible and useful. Clinical preventive medicine learning objectives for a CHC rotation can also address public health competencies.

Mapping student response team activities to public health competencies: are we adequately preparing the next generation of public health practitioners?

This article compares activities of the University of Michigan School of Public Health Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Applied Epidemiology Competencies (AECs) to determine the utility of using the competencies to assess extracurricular student training. We mapped the activities from eight PHAST trips occurring from 2006 to 2009 to the 34 AECs for Tier 1 epidemiologists by examining project activities to determine how closely they aligned with the AECs. PHAST trips provided students with opportunities to address 65% of the AECs; 29% of the AECs were addressed by all eight trips. The domains of AECs most often addressed by PHAST trips were leadership and systems thinking, cultural competency, and community dimensions of practice. Mapping PHAST trips to the AECs was useful for all public health students, not just epidemiologists in training.

Assessing emergency response training needs of local environmental health professionals.

The Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness collaborated with environmental health (EH) professionals at the local, state, and national levels to develop and conduct a state-wide study to identify the preparedness-training needs of local EH professionals in Michigan. The specific aims of the study were first, to determine the self-rated level of confidence among Michigan's EH professionals regarding relevant emergency planning and response competencies; second, to determine the specific preparedness training topic preferences of Michigan's EH professionals; and third, to establish baseline needs assessment data to be used to track progress toward higher levels of readiness after implementation of planning, training, and other preparedness activities. The study recruited 400 EH professionals to complete the survey (61% of all EH professionals in 45 local health departments in Michigan). The top training topic preferences were "environmental health role in emergencies" followed by "water security" and "food security." The EH professionals rated their confidence in demonstrating relevant emergency planning and response competencies. Most of the average ratings (on a 5-point scale) were close to the scale's middle point (rating = 3), suggesting that EH professionals rate themselves as "somewhat confident" in performing important tasks in preparedness and response. Variations in specific ratings helped identify training needs. The discussion of these results focused on the implications of this study for the development of emergency response training for environmental health professionals.