University of South Dakota

Problem:

The provision of health-related services to children with special healthcare needs in SD is limited by a small population, large/rural geography, ethnic diversity and a paucity of healthcare providers. The SD LEND Program trains professionals to serve children and their families.

Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1: The SD LEND Program educates its trainees to assume clinical leadership roles in the provision of services for children with neurodevelopmental and other special healthcare needs and their families. Objective 1: Upon the completion of the 60-month program period, 50 graduate student trainees will have completed the SD LEND training curriculum. Objective 2: Upon the completion of the 60-month program period, at least 60% of graduate student LEND trainees will practice in rural settings serving children with special healthcare needs (neurodevelopmental) and their families. Goal 2: The SD LEND Program builds the leadership capacity of its trainees so that they may assume leadership roles for the provision of services for children with special healthcare needs. Objective 1: Upon the completion of the 60-month program period, 50 graduate student trainees will have completed the SD LEND leadership training curriculum. Objective 2: Within five years of completion of the 60-month program period, at least 60% of the SD LEND graduate student trainees will be involved in leadership roles regarding the provision of services for children with special healthcare needs. Goal 3: The SD LEND Program will enhance the capacity of healthcare providers to serve children with special healthcare needs through the provision of continuing education and technical assistance. Objective 1: Upon the completion of the 60-month program period, the SD LEND Program will have conducted at least five independent continuing education activities regarding children with special healthcare needs. Objective 2: Upon the completion of the 60-month program period, at least 3000 practicing healthcare professionals will have received continuing education/technical assistance provided by or by collaboration with the SD LEND Program. Goal 4: The SD LEND Program will promote improved systems of care for children with special healthcare needs and their families. Objective 1: The SD LEND Program will continue to pursue dialogue and collaboration with the SD Title V program of the SD Dept. of Health. Objective 2: The SD LEND Program will continue to actively negotiate for improved systems of care for children with special healthcare needs in the state and region. Partners include state and private universities, hospitals and the state department of health. Objective 3: The SD LEND Program will continue to pursue collaborative relationships with other LEND programs with the intent of expanding opportunities for trainee education, research and improved systems of care for children with special healthcare needs.

Methodology:

The SD LEND Program is graduate-level traineeship to which students commit 300 hours of study regarding the evaluation and management of children with special healthcare needs, especially infants with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Disciplines involved include the following: audiology, pediatric dentistry, health administration, medicine, nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, parents, physical therapy, psychology, social work, special education and speech pathology. The training curriculum is comprised of the following components: 1. a 3 credit-hour course regarding the interdisciplinary healthcare team, 2. the SD LEND Leadership Seminar (may be taken for 2 credit-hours), 3. training in research methods and the completion of an independent research project, 4. participation in approximately 150 hours of clinical interdisciplinary training in the evaluation and management of infants and children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and special healthcare needs. In all aspects of training, cultural competency and family-based services are emphasized. All trainees are required to complete one family experience with a volunteer family with a child with special health care needs. In addition, all trainees are required to complete a minimum of two experiences (10 hrs) involving another culture during the course of their traineeship.

Coordination:

The SD LEND Program involves collaboration between the University of South Dakota (USD) Center for Disabilities of the Dept. of Pediatrics of the Sanford School of Medicine in Sioux Falls, departments of USD in Vermillion, the Dept. of Nutrition and School of Nursing of South Dakota State University in Brookings, Augustana College in Sioux Falls, Sanford Children's Hospital and Specialty Clinic in Sioux Falls, Children's Care Hospital in Sioux Falls and the SD Dept. of Health in Pierre, SD.

Evaluation:

Program evaluation is overseen by the SD LEND Steering Committee and the SD LEND Evaluation Committee. Evaluation instruments are in place to assess trainee satisfaction with the academic, leadership and clinical aspects of the training program. Trainee academic and clinical achievements are continuously monitored by the program Training Director and research projects are assessed by the Research Committee. Periodically, faculty are asked to evaluate the program using a variety of methods.

Experience to Date:

This year, the SD LEND Program has graduated a total of 12 graduate-level trainees from the fields of Health Administration, School Psychology, Special Education, Nursing, Audiology, Physical Therapy (2), Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Nutrition, Speech Pathology and Parents. Participants from the fields of Special Education and School Psychology are new the the SD LEND Program this year. Special accomplishments for this fiscal year include refinement of the SD LEND Leadership Seminar with the addition of a new Ancillary Discipline Head for Leadership, who has assisted trainees with the self-assessment of their leadership potential using the Myers-Briggs Inventory and a personal assessment of Emotional Intelligence. Another addition to the SD LEND curriculum was the first Midwestern LEND Consortium meeting of LEND trainees and faculty from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. This meeting was held in Omaha, NE in October 2005 with over 50 representatives from the three program in attendance. The main topic of this conference was leadership. A follow-up teleconference of the Consortium members in March 2006 addressed national legislative issues. Planning is in process for a second meeting in October of 2006. Thirteen trainees have been recruited for the SD LEND Program for fiscal year 2007. Among these is the first second-year SD LEND Leadership Trainee.