Syllabus

Graduate Programs in Public Health

GPH 745 Integrated Practicum: Practical Experience — Spring A/B

Credits - 2

Description

Instructor: Nang H. Tin Maung, PhD, MPH
Email: ntinmaung@une.edu
Telephone: (207) 221­-4952

Office Hours: The Course Instructor is available by making an appointment via email.

Course Goal: The goal of the practical experience is to apply concepts learned throughout the Master of Public Health (MPH) program in a public health practice setting, and to apply, develop, and employ skills such as leadership, professionalism, communication, and teamwork.

Course Description: The practical experience (sometimes called a field experience) is a required part of the MPH degree and is the first part of the Integrated Public Health Practicum. This component provides students with the opportunity to apply classroom learning in a public health environment and to work with experienced public health professionals. Working with an approved preceptor at an approved placement
site, students will develop goals for the practical experience and complete a defined project in a minimum of
120 hours. This will be an opportunity to develop practice­-based skills that enhance individual career goals and demonstrate additional skills such as leadership, communication, and teamwork.

Course Prerequisite Requirements: Successful completion of all MPH core and elective courses or an approved petition.

Students should have a practical experience site, preceptor and project approved prior to beginning the course.

Course Format: This course will be facilitated through a web-­based format. Individual meetings with the Course Instructor will be up to the student to schedule. Course assignments will be submitted via the Blackboard assignment portal.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Course Competencies: The practical experience will meet the following course competencies, which are in addition to project-­specific competencies as identified by the student and with input from the student’s site preceptor and the Course Instructor:

• 1A10. Uses quantitative and qualitative data
• 2A1. Contributes to state/Tribal/community health improvement planning (e.g., providing data to supplement community health assessments, communicating observations from work in the field)
• 2A6. Gathers information that can inform options for policies, programs, and services (e.g., secondhand smoking policies, data use policies, HR policies, immunization programs, food safety programs)
• 3A2. Communicates in writing and orally with linguistic and cultural proficiency (e.g., using age­appropriate materials, incorporating images)
• 4A5. Addresses the diversity of individuals and populations when implementing policies, programs, and services that affect the health of a community
• 5A3. Suggests relationships that may be needed to improve health in a community
• 5A5. Supports relationships that improve health in a community
• 5A6. Collaborates with community partners to improve health in a community (e.g., participates in committees, shares data and information, connects people to resources)
• 6B3. Applies public health sciences (e.g., biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, social and behavioral sciences, and public health informatics) in the delivery of the 10 Essential Public Health Services
• 6A5. Retrieves evidence (e.g., research findings, case reports, community surveys) from print and electronic sources (e.g., PubMed, Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, The World Health Report) to support decision making
• 6A9. Contributes to the public health evidence base (e.g., participating in Public Health Practice­Based Research Networks, community­based participatory research, and academic health departments; authoring articles; making data available to researchers)

Course Learning Objectives:

• Apply public health evidence, principles, theories, practices, and/or research methods to a specific public health problem.
• Integrate and apply public health skills learned within courses and prior professional experience, including but not limited to leadership, oral and written communication, and teamwork.
• Model appropriate public health principles and values: compassion, critical thinking, diversity, excellence, innovation, participation, collaboration, professionalism, and social justice.

Assignments

Identify & Develop Goals, Objectives, and Competencies. This form should be developed with input from the site preceptor. Goals should be broad and overarching, as related to your practical experience project. Objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results­focused, and (realistically) Time­bound. Tasks must support the objectives and the objectives must support the goal. Include project deliverables. The final version of this form is due by the end of the first week of class. The site preceptor must sign before it is submitted. Submit via email to the instructor before the course or in Blackboard after the course begins.

Submit Avatar Photo & Practical Experience Project Description. In the Blackboard Discussion section, upload a photo that you would like to use as your class avatar as well as the location/description of your practical experience to the ZeeMap, which will then show all students completing their practical experiences and their locations. This is due by the end of the first week of class.

Submit Quarterly Reports. After every 30 hours of Practical Experience work, students will share their progress towards completing their project goals through the submission of Quarterly Reports. Students should plan in advance to meet with their preceptor every 30 hours to discuss progress, future plans and complete the Quarterly Report. Each report will provide enough information to determine that adequate progress is made on meeting approved goals, objectives, and tasks. Original signatures are required on the report. This form is available in Blackboard and completed reports should be submitted via Blackboard.

Participate in Discussion Posts. Students will submit one discussion post per week. At the beginning of each month, students will make an original post on an assigned topic. In each of the remaining weeks of the month, students will read and post a response to peers’ posts. Topics will be assigned on Monday and all posts are due by 11:59PM (Eastern Time or your local time, whichever is later) on the Sunday of the week they were assigned. Late posts will not receive a credit. Original posts should be ~250 words and replies can be shorter.

Submit Final Report. This report should provide a clear description of what was accomplished during your practical experience and what lessons you learned. It should be 5-7 pages long, size 12 font with double spacing and one inch margins. Products developed at your site should be attached. The report should contain no typographical or grammatical errors. This report is due three days prior to the last day of the session, or after the 120 hours are completed, whichever occurs first.

Ensure completion of Preceptor’s Student Evaluation. The form can be downloaded in Blackboard. Students should provide their preceptor with the form and ensure its completion. Preceptors should return the completed evaluation to the instructor via email no later than three days prior to the last day of the session.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Identify and Develop Goals, Objectives, and Competencies	5
Submit Avatar Photo and Practical Experience Project Description	5
Submit Quarterly Reports	40
Participate in Discussion Boards	20
Submit Final Report	20
Ensure Completion of Preceptor's Student Evaluation	10
Total:	100

Grade	Point Range
High Pass	90-100
Pass	80-89
Fail	79 and below