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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Marion K. Slack, PhD, Pharmacy Practice and Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210207, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0207, 520/626-1099, slack@pharmacy.arizona.edu and Marylyn M McEwen, MS, BSN, College of Nursing, University of Arizona, 1305 N. Martin PO Box 210203, Tucson, AZ 85721-0203.
The objective of this presentation is to describe a model of interdisciplinary health professions education that includes experiential training with community health workers (CHW's). The setting is a community health center in a rural town of 28,000 located on the U.S.-Mexico border. The population is primarily Hispanic (90%), with limited education (32% of adults have a high school education), and the median income is low (23% less than for the state). Students from pharmacy, nursing, social work, public health, nutrition, and medicine participate in the interdisciplinary practicum experience. Students pair with a CHW to provide case management services through home visits. Typically, 4-6 CHW's are available to pair with students at any one time. Working with a CHW, students identify problems and appropriate interventions. Students, faculty, CHW's, and community professionals meet for a weekly case management seminar to present cases and obtain consultation from other professions. A total of 148 health sciences students, 35 men and 113 women, median age 20-29, have participated in the practicum. Few students (4) had had any experience working with CHW's before entering the training program. Ninety-six percent rated their experience as good or excellent. Students indicated that CHW's alleviated barriers to working with clients, provided links to providers, helped them learn about the Hispanic culture, were role models, acted as mentors, provided knowledge of community resources, helped with Spanish, and were inspiring. We concluded that community health workers can serve an important role in educating health sciences students in providing services to disadvantaged populations.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Community Health Advisor, Education
Related Web page: www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/outreach/ncns/idtraining/ncns.html
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: The content of this presentation is based on a Federal grant from the Quintin N. Burdick Rural Health Training Grants, #2D36 HP10033.