University of Arizona

Problem : The Rocky Mountain States suffer from a lack of MCH training opportunities that address a rural, frontier multi-ethnic population. This programs provides MCH professionals that opportunity to obtain post-gradaute MCH training to enhance their public health competence.

Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1: Recruit 8 public health practitioners each year from geographically underserved and ethnically diverse communities to complete a yearlong MCH Certificate Program. Objective 1: By the end of each year, have trainees graduating from the program who are from at least 3 Rocky Mountain States. Objective 2: By the end of the grant period, have 40 trainees who have graduated from the program with all the target groups represented, including each targeted state, agencies of employment (county, state, tribal) and the ethnic backgrounds of the populations targeted by the MCH programs. Objective 3: By the end of the grant period, have at least 8 trainees (20%) who have continued their graduate studies in a gradaute program. Goal 2: Refine the Rocky Mountain MCH Certificate Program curriculum and individualized practical learning opportunities for certificate program trainees. Objective 1: Each year, incorporate training topics into the certificate program curriculum that have been identified by the region’s local, State and Tribal MCH professionals. Objective 2: Each year, incorporate a longitudinal leadership-training curriculum into the yearlong certificate program in addition to the one-week intensive MCH Summer Institute. Objective 3: By the end of the grant period, have 100% of the certificate trainees, be able to identify how the certificate training assisted them in their workplace. Goal 3: Incorporate the scientific basis of public health practice, cultural competence, and community based participatory research into the certificate curriculum. Objective 1: Each year, have each trainee incorporate a research project into their practicum experience. Objective 2: Each year, have at least 15 hours of leadership training and activities incorporated into monthly conference calls with the trainees. Objective 3: By the end of the grant period, have at least 33% of the practicum experiences include community based participatory research. Goal 4: Evaluate the Certificate Program in terms of how it has responded to regional and national training needs. Objective 1: Each year, monitor and ensure that the training curriculum addresses the regional and national MCH Performance Measures. Objective 2: Each year, monitor and ensure that the training curriculum addresses the MCH competencies as delineated by the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health. Objective 3: Each year, monitor and ensure that the training curriculum addresses the traditional care areas of public health sciences (particularly epidemiology, health services administration, and social and behavioral sciences).

Methodology:

An MCH Certificate Program has been developed that includes 12 graduate semester credit hours. Working adults, especially those already in MCH practice in isolated areas are recruited for the program and retained through convenient scheduling and innovative technology. The program is designed to meet and track education that addresses MCHB Performance Measures, State Goals and the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health Competencies, Healthy People 2010 MCH Objectives, the basic functions and essential public health services and the content areas of public health education. Trainees accepted into the program will take Internet courses and then attend a one-week MCH Summer Institute that will focus on leadership, the foundations of MCH practice, and program planning and evaluation within a regional context. During the next 12 months, the trainees will complete additional MCH Internet courses, attend at least one graduate public health course, and conduct an individualized practicum under the guidance of academic and field mentors. At the completion of these activities, they attend a second MCH Summer Institute that will continue to focus on leadership training, reinforce their Internet courses, and they will present the results from their practicum experiences.

Coordination:

The MCH Certificate Program is coordianted by RMPHEC partners including Title V programs (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Alaska, North Dakota and Oklahoma), Navajo Nation, community partners and academic faculty members at five partner universities. The Center of Excellence on Women's Health, the Pediatric Pulmonary Center and the Institute on Family and Children at the University of Arizona also assist wth the program.

Evaluation:

The evaluation includes (1) applicant and trainee records about recruitment, registration, retention and completion logs and records; student and alumni databases; (2) the program’s meeting/committee minutes and annual report; (3) curriculum review/course syllabi, review of student portfolios (learning contract, report of the year’s progress, implementation plans); (4) Summer Institute trainees and peer evaluations; (5) 6-month follow-up surveys; and (6) faculty and student publication database.

Experience to Date:

During the first two years of this project, 8 certificate trainees have completed the program and an additional 8 trainees are toward the end of their program. Participation by certificate trainees have included attendance at the annual Rocky Mountain Maternal and Child Health Summer Institute. Trainees are now using webconference technology to convene monthly leadership meetings. Trainees have conducted research projects on assessing health care systems, post-partum depression, methamphetamine, syphilis outbreaks, and child abuse.