6/14/2014

1

June 13, 2014

Marjorie Schaffer – Professor, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota

Diane Bonniwell, Licensed School Nurse, Minneapolis Public Schools

Julie De Haan, Assistant Professor, Bethel University

Gloria Thomas, Pastor, Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church

Jeannine Holmquist, Senior Nursing Student, Bethel University

Bethel University Small private liberal arts college

Suburban location with proximity to major metropolitan area

78 - 90 nursing students in each class

8% diversity – traditional undergraduates

Values include reconciliation

and peacemaking

Community Engagement

Definition: Applying institutional resources to address and solve challenges facing communities through collaboration with these communities (CCPH)

Curricular Goals:

Prepare nurses who will:

Contribute to reducing health disparities

Develop cultural sensitivity and competence

Develop commitment to serving diverse and vulnerable populations

Community Engagement Structure

Students remain in same site for 5 semesters

2 to 4 students per site

Agency and faculty liaison for each site

About 40 community sites

Community Engagement Coordinator

Churches 10 sites Schools 5 sites Early Childhood 6 sites Screening/Services Head Start 9 sites Supportive Housing for Adults with Disabilities 6 sites CD and DV Services 4 sites Cancer Support Services 1 site

Community Sites Preparation

Focus groups with 11 organizations - churches, schools, non-profit agencies, long-term care facility

Racial Reconciliation Lunches with all nursing faculty

Lunch and Learn Sessions (Alumni grant)

2 on campus, 4 at Community Engagement sites

Community partners invited

Dialogue about Unnatural Causes DVD series (focus on health disparities) http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/

Community Engagement Coordinator

6/14/2014

2

Student Learning Experiences Orientation

Assess population and environment

Identify health implications

Health promotion presentation

Chronic illness project

25-hour group project determined by agency

Project evaluation

Poster presentation

Supports for Student Learning

Established student CE Student Council

CE Partnership Meetings

Community Engagement Coordinator

Grant Support

Bethel Alumni Association (2 grants)

Minnesota Campus Compact

Association of American Colleges and Universities

Panel Discussion: Perspectives of Community Engagement

Briefly share one story from your community engagement experience. In connection with the story:

1. What did you see as your main responsibility?

2. What do you see as community strengths?

3. What did you find to be challenging or frustrating about your experience?

4. What did you find to be rewarding or joyful about your experience?

5. What is the take-a-way for working with and in community organizations for building and sustaining partnerships?

Evaluation of CE Curriculum Year 1

Surveys - students, faculty, and community partners

Focus groups with sophomores

Year 2

Focus groups with juniors

Year 3

Surveys – students, faculty, and community partners

Focus groups with senior students and community partners

Participants Group Year 1

Sophomores

Year 2

Juniors

Year 3

Seniors

Students Survey: Expectations

for CE (n = 88)

Focus groups

(n = 8; n = 9)

Two Focus

Groups

(n = 8; n = 6)

Survey (n = 50)

Focus Groups

(n = 6; n = 6)

Comm

Partners

Survey (n = 9)

Survey (n = 8)

Focus Groups

(n = 6; n = 6)

Faculty

Survey (n = 9) Survey

(n = 7)

Student Perceptions - End of Program n = 50 %

Helped to understand challenges faced by community members in accessing health care

62%

Reflection about CE experiences somewhat or very helpful

62%

Orientation was poor 54%

Would not repeat a similar experience

66%

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3

Student Perceptions of Growth

in Knowledge

Mean

before

CE

Mean

after

CE

p-

value

1. The types of community resources available

for the population with whom I worked

2.41 3.04 .0004*

2. How health care delivery systems (e.g.

managed care) impact my work in the

community

2.45 2.87 .0166*

3. The health care needs of the community in

which I served

2.55 3.43 .0001*

4. The responsibilities of other professionals

in a multidisciplinary team

2.78 3.22 .0128*

5. The barriers to receiving health care in the

community that I served

2.53 3.41 .0001*

Student Perceptions of Growth

in Knowledge

before

CE

n = 49

after

CE

n = 46

p-

value

6. The impact of socioeconomic status

on health and illness

3.12 3.67 .0016*

7. How my agency is perceived in the

community

2.20 2.93 .0002*

8. How to work with clients/patients

who have various levels of health

care knowledge

2.78 3.33 .0015*

9. What the terms “community

resources” and “community service”

mean

2.88 3.28 .0195*

Community Partners – Key Messages

Open communication is important.

An alignment of goals between community partner and academia is important.

Students need to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Student learning is important to the community.

It is important to connect with diverse professional populations.

Faculty Survey (year 3) Agreement

Faculty should be role models for community service

Have a responsibility to serve community

Disagree/neutral responses

Helped to clarify focus for scholarship

Became more comfortable with working with people different from self

Resulted in a change in teaching style

Revisions 1. Needed greater flexibility for CE sites

2. Created CE Oversight Faculty Committee with members having several sites

3. Framed CE experiences as “clinical”

4. Added more structure for guiding students

Scheduled orientation to senior project to encourage students to start early

Added weekly CE seminar to senior year fall semester to provide greater support for student activities

Enhanced student accountability through CE logs

Discussion of Scenarios

Small Group Discussion: An opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas

For further information contact:

Marjorie Schaffer

m-schaffer@bethel.edu