Fieldwork Information Session

September 27, 2011

Fieldwork Information Session Overview

1. Faculty

2. Major players

3. What is fieldwork

4. Time line and tasks

5. Possible fieldwork strategies

6. IRB needs

7. Forms and Handbook

8. Questions

PH 737 Faculty Fall 2011, Spring 2012 and Summer 2012

COMHE –C. Platkin EOHS – F. Mirer EPI/BIOS – L. Thorpe HPM – L. McDowell NUTR – A. Spark

Major Players & Responsibilities

1. Student

2. Preceptor (aka fieldwork supervisor)

3. Academic advisor

4. Fieldwork faculty member

Why Fieldwork  The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

requires that all MPH students in its accredited programs demonstrate the application of basic public health concepts through a practice experience that is relevant to the students’ areas of specialization.

In the SPH, fieldwork experience provides MPH and MS students with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use the knowledge gained during their graduate coursework.

Fieldwork and Capstone“The Relationship”

Fieldwork is a prerequisite for Capstone. In other words, students may start the Capstone course only when they have completed their fieldwork.

During the fieldwork semester, students compose a short essay summarizing reflections on their fieldwork experience. This short essay will be incorporated in the student final portfolio, which is submitted during the Capstone semester.

The Capstone paper may or may not be developed based on the fieldwork experience.

Practice papers must be based on fieldwork. Research papers may or may not be based on fieldwork. Master’s essays and theses may or may not be based on fieldwork

Possible Fieldwork Strategies For those with 9-5 jobs with limited flexibility:

Explore feasibility of a public health project in your workplace that enhances institutions goals but would not be done otherwise

Identify field data collection opportunities that can occur nights and weekends Seek out faculty with interests in your area and devise an academic-based

fieldwork project on non-traditional time

For those who are completely undecided on what to do: Fill out ‘prospective fieldwork student’ form (see website) and discuss with

your academic advisor Consider formal training opportunities with the NYC Health Dept (HRTP) Look for fieldwork opportunities in East Harlem to help the school contribute

to neighborhood health

Fieldwork Site Selection Provide appropriate public health experience as it relates to the student’s career

goals and area of concentration. Provide support and space for the student appropriate for the student’s experience. The environment of the site is safe for the student’s field practicum experience. An available preceptor who is qualified and able to spend time with the student

and provide guidance. The preceptor has an understanding of the educational needs of public health

students, including the need to increase responsibility and independence gradually. If fieldwork is to be performed in a student’s own current job setting, the student

must engage in substantially different assignment outside the scope of his or her usual activities. Activity must be approved by student's capstone faculty member.

Fieldwork Preceptor Educational Requirements of Preceptor Assist the fieldwork student in determining specific, mutually- agreeable, written

fieldwork objectives & deliverables to the agency. Orient the student to the field organization’s mission, programs, policies,

protocols. Commit time for instructional interaction & dialogue w/ student. Provide supervision of the student’s activities. If indicated, resolve conflicts w/ agency or organization policy. Prepare an evaluation of the student, and discuss it with the student prior to

sending it to the fieldwork faculty member. Transmit the student’s final evaluation to the student’s fieldwork faculty member. Share any comments and/or suggestions about the field experience with the course

fieldwork faculty.

Fieldwork Site Examples Examples of types of sites include: Federal agencies, such as the USDHHS, Veterans Administration, CDC, USDA, OSHA State, county or city health departments Other state and local health and social service agencies Managed care organizations Neighborhood health centers and community clinics Hospitals (public, nonprofit, for profit) Extended care facilities Community mental health centers Environmental health consulting companies Industrial settings Multi-specialty medical practices Head Start, public schools, private schools, nursery schools Academic or other non-governmental research institute Analyzing data provided by faculty, if the product of the analysis has potential public health impact. [for example,

compiling publically available OSHA air sampling data for the purpose of evaluating OSHA enforcement programs]

Fieldwork Expectations and Deliverables

Fieldwork Timeline Steps are needed at each of the following

junctures: The semester before your planned PH737

Fieldwork experience Just before and during the fieldwork semester End of the fieldwork semester

Step 1 Pre-Fieldwork(The Semester Before PH 737)

Notify your program advisor of your intention to register for PH 737.

Discuss eligibility and possible fieldwork options you are considering.

Have a good sense of what your intended project or organization is by the time you register for the next semester’s PH737 course.

Step 2: Right Before & During the First 2 Weeks of PH 737 Fieldwork

Finalize details of project site, preceptor and project.

Develop a written work plan, including the “fieldwork contract.”

Secure approval of fieldwork faculty member and preceptor.

Step 3: On-going Through the Semester

Undertake fieldwork Meet w/ fieldwork faculty member & preceptor as

arranged Keep a daily log of activities, as required

Step 4. End of SemesterAt a minimum, submit these written materials to your fieldwork faculty member:

Preceptor’s evaluation of your performance (sent directly to Fieldwork Advisor, however please make sure that it is sent)

Your fieldwork evaluation Reflections for your portfolio Brief literature review (for your capstone paper)

Two Important Requirements to Graduate

All CUNY SPH Master’s students must complete a fieldwork project and either a Capstone project or a Master’s essay

To comply with CUNY and Hunter College requirements, Capstone or Master’s essay projects must be assessed for their impact on human subjects by Hunter’s Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Fieldwork Capstone/Master’s Essay

When Do I Submit My Fieldwork/Capstone Paperwork to

CUNY/Hunter IRB?

…But Only a Few Capstone/Essays will Require a Full IRB Submission

1) How do I know what IRB level my project will require?

2) How long does this process take?

3) When do I submit IRB-related forms?

4) Might it slow down my graduation date?

(1) How Do I Know What IRB Level My Project Will Require?

ALL students must submit a simple “Research Determination Form” as soon as they have a reasonably clear idea of what they’d like to do for their Capstone or Master’s essay (more on this soon….)

The CUNY/Hunter IRB will review this form and either approve it as: IRB Exempt Requiring a full IRB protocol submission

CUNY/Hunter CollegeInstitutional Review Board

Hunter IRB Website: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/irb/ Research determination Form located under “Forms” Research Determination Form is short and easy!

It’s less than one page of writing It is advantageous to submit it as early as possible It is very important to not falsify or skirt over details

Complete form and submit to: irb@hunter.cuny.edu. Good idea to cc your Fieldwork/Capstone advisor to let them know

paperwork is in and allow us to monitor timeliness of IRB.

PART I: PROJECT INFORMATION

Duration of Project:

 

Description of Project: Please describe briefly (one page or less) the scope and intent of the project. Provide a description of how the data will be collected and analyzed, whether data about living human subjects are involved, and what the end product will be (such as internal document, teaching materials, electronic or print publication, etc.).

 

Description of Potential Human Subjects, and Human Subjects Data to be Collected:

 

Recruitment Plan:

 

Comments:

Determination Form Content

What is the IRB Looking for? What Constitutes “Research”?

Human subject means a living individual about whom an investigator (professional or student) conducting research obtains (1) data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or (2) identifiable private information

Intervention includes physical procedures by which data are gathered (e.g. venipuncture, education program) and manipulations of subject or the subject's environment performed for research

Private information includes information about behaviors…. and information which has been provided …which the individual can reasonably expect will not be made public (for example, a medical record)

What is Typically IRB Exempt?

Review and analysis of de-identified, public use or administrative data (e.g. analysis of CDC BRFSS data)

Analysis of de-identified secondary data that was already IRB approved (e.g. analysis of a de-identified dataset maintained by a faculty researcher)

Collection/analyses of information used to improve program quality only (e.g. not intended to be published for generalizable knowledge)

Literature review

How Long Does This Process Take? Research Determination Form is relatively quick (≤ 1 month) Full IRB protocol submission should be timed to meet IRB office

deadline for that month’s meeting (CALL office or review website).

1-3 months, depending on questions that arise (more questions, more back and forth…..)

Will need to include the CITI Human Subjects Certificate completed in Intro Epi or Biostat

A well-written IRB Protocol will generate many fewer questions and be much more likely to pass the first time around without questions

Have someone familiar with IRB review your proposal

(3) When Do I Submit Research Determination Forms?

It depends……on how you are designing your fieldwork and Capstone project

Students take a number of different paths, all legitimate.

Three most common paths are:

Fieldwork and Capstone/Essay are distinct and unrelated projects (i.e. fieldwork does not provide the content for Capstone/Essay)

Fieldwork is specifically designed to produce a known Capstone/Essay project

Fieldwork and Capstone/Essay are related, but specific Capstone/Essay project is not clearly defined until middle or end of fieldwork

Sample “Ideal Timelines”, Based on Three Different Fieldwork/Capstone Pathways

• Path #1:

Fieldwork and Capstone/Essay are distinct and unrelated projects (i.e. fieldwork does not provide the content for Capstone/Essay)

• Winter/Spring - Fieldwork (PH737)• Spring - Formulate Capstone/Essay plan• End Spring - Submit Research Determ Form• Summer - If needed, submit full IRB form• Fall - Initiate Capstone/Essay (PH738)

Fieldwork Capstone/Master’s EssayResearch Determination Form

Sample “Ideal Timelines”, Based on Three Different Fieldwork/Capstone Pathways

• Path #2:

Fieldwork is specifically designed to produce a known Capstone/Essay project

• Winter - Plan Fieldwork/Capstone project• Spring - Submit Research Determ Form• Spring/Summer - If needed, submit full IRB form• Summer - Fieldwork (PH737)• Fall - Capstone/Essay (PH738)

Fieldwork Capstone/Master’s EssayResearch Determ Form

Sample “Ideal Timelines”, Based on Three Different Fieldwork/Capstone Pathways

• Path #3:

Fieldwork and Capstone/Essay are related, but specific Capstone/Essay project is not clearly defined until middle or end of fieldwork

• Winter - Plan Fieldwork/Capstone project• Spring/Summer - Fieldwork (PH737)• Summer - Submit Research Determ Form• Summer/Fall - If needed, submit full IRB form• Fall - Capstone/Essay (PH738)

Fieldwork Capstone/Master’s EssayResearch Determ Form

Fieldwork Forms and Handbook

1. Preceptor’s Evaluation of Fieldwork Student

2. Student’s Evaluation of Fieldwork Experience

3. Fieldwork Log (if applicable)

Fieldwork Handbook available at: http://www.cuny.edu/site/sph/hunter-college/campus-resources/fieldwork.html

Do You Have Questions?