WVRHEP/AHEC Schools Committee
WVRHEP/AHEC Joint Community Outreach/Curriculum Committee
Meeting Minutes
Monday, September 10, 2007
In Attendance: April Vestal, Carla See, Jenny Ostien, Nannette VanDyke-McDonald, Kathryn Greenlief, Richard L. Meckstroth, David Bowyer, Kathleen Bors, Carla Campbell, Haylee Heinsberg, Amy Holbrook, Hilda R. Heady, Dennis McCutcheon, Dave Brown, Patricia A. Crawford, Sandra Y. Pope, Ralph Utzman
Approval of Minutes – The minutes of the June 11, 2007 meeting, which were joint minutes of both committees, were approved with no additions/corrections (Bors/Heinsberg).
Unfinished Business
SOLE Update/Data from SERFE – April Vestal reported that there needed to be some additional training of field faculty on facilitating SOLE internet-based courses before the project would be able to move to a statewide project, otherwise it would be too taxing on the 5 facilitators that have been doing cases for the pilot sites. The faculty development committee did discuss this as a training option for their 2008 faculty development day. More details will be available at the November meeting. Jodie Jackson discussed information provided on the SERFE regarding SOLE. 68% reported that the SOLE modules were good, very good or excellent. Dr. Meckstroth said his students have reflected that in regular IDS, if content is the focus, it is poor, but if interaction is the focus, then it is good. It was pointed out that many times, the factor is student attitude. Hilda pointed out that the SOLE cases were important, and the cases were excellent, but should not be the students only interdisciplinary experience.
Jodie suggested that Hilda send an email to schools regarding the purpose of IDS. Dick said that shadowing experiences with other students are something that students enjoy and can be a way they learn to appreciate each other’s discipline.
Literacy Project – It was asked if the literacy project could be included as a module. April and Jodie agreed to work together to see if complaints on SERFE were discipline or module specific and will report back to the committees.
New Business
Future of Schools/Joint Outreach/Curriculum Committees – Carla indicated that in the past the two committees have met separately or together, depending on the business and agenda items and if the committees would benefit from meeting together. The committees received some history about why they were created from Hilda. The committee chairs asked for guidance from Hilda and other committee members on how they see the future of the committees and what new directions the committees should take. Dick asked what the Legislature expected of the committees. Hilda suggested that the Schools committee might be reconstituted so they can deal with policy issues, and then the larger committee would be able to identify outstanding community service projects with students and the committee could be the stamp of approval for service learning and other curricular components. Hilda suggested that the role of the Schools Committee needs to be much more aggressive and active. The schools should figure out how curriculum fits together instead of protecting their own. The Faculty Development Committee has consistently tried to improve IDS – it is these types of stellar or best practices that the committee could be looking at and developing. Schools would be a sub-committee of this body (JOCC). There was a suggestion to also try to get field faculty on the committee. The committee agreed to ask Hilda to provide some re-structuring guidelines for the two committees and come back with a charge for the committee.
Dr. Bors suggested the committees look at “function” and charge of each committee. What are the tasks? What does all of RHEP/AHEC need? Challenge the schools to believe in the program enough so that it becomes a highlight. Hilda agreed to work on this
SOP Multiple Rural Rotations – Carla discussed that Pharmacy students are consistently choosing more than three RHEP rotations. They do not want to limit the number of times students choose RHEP. Site coordinators in the past have modified RHEP activities after three rotations. Kathryn discussed this at the coordinator meeting. Kathryn indicated she is interested in helping to work on a solution. Carla also agreed to help. It appears this is an isolated issue to the SOP. There are similar but different issues with the SOL and levels policy in that there are preceptors who are having too many students and thus canceling rotations. This has also been an issue with WVSOM students as these students also do multiple RHEP rotations. Carla, Kathryn, April, Amy and Dr. Foster agreed to be on the committee.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.