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Taking the DHSc plunge...


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Just turned in the final paper for leadership. Interesting assignment. we were asked to pick a book by an influential leader and critique their leadership style. really fun to read and write.

One more discussion posting for week 12 next week then on to professional ethics next term. It's interesting, reviewing my whole academic history I have taken an ethics course(or 2) at every stage from college pre-reqs at a community college at age 17 to a course in PA school to a course for my MS and now 2 for the DHSc(one with a global focus and one that focuses on clinical issues for health care professionals).

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Chapter 2 (Review of the literature) for my practicum proposal was just accepted. I'm hoping to have chapter 3(methodology and procedures) done by the end of this month. I still don't know if I am going to be able to get six weeks off to volunteer in W. Africa early next year. The board of directors at my job is "considering my request". Either way, I want to have the practicum proposal done by the end of this term so I can either start the practicum next term(if I don't go) or the following term(if I do). Dr. O'Hara has been very helpful at walking me through the practicum proposal process with great feedback at each step of the way.

My other current course(professional ethics) seems to have a lot of the material front loaded into the first month with the entire text read by the end of week 4 followed by an exam covering the whole book. Although I have taken several ethics courses before, this course is fun because it is specifically geared to clinicians with all the material based on case studies.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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1/3 of the way through with ethics and midterm quiz done. Just turned in part 3 of the practicum proposal. Hopefully it will need only minor fixes/corrections to be accepted. Part 4 looks fairly straightforward and includes an abstract. Part 5 will involve quite a bit more research to flesh out some parts which have been identified as being a little thin in prior versions. I really want to finish this by mid-December.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Just turned in part 4 of the practicum proposal today. now up to 22 pages. I expect I will need to do a rewrite and then on to chapter 5, which is due in final "perfect form" by 12/14.

I should know in the next 2 days about going to Africa early next year. really coming down to the wire on this as I have 3 employers asking me about availability for shifts for next year.

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My practicum part 4 was accepted on the first submission. Just a few minor adds for part 5, then on to the practicum next term!

It took me 3 terms to write the practicum proposal. give yourself plenty of time to do this. there are 5 parts in addition to a topic approval. Expect to have each section returned for edits and changes in style/content, some parts more than once. I think my part 2 had 3 revisions. Dr. O'Hara is very patient and offers great constructive feedback throughout this process. In addition to content, she really helped me with formatting as well.

In week 8 of professional ethics now. It is shaping up to be a very interesting class that delves into case studies and requires students to develop and support opinions. I also took the global ethics course as my first course in the program. both are excellent.

3 courses to go.

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I just turned in what I hope will be the last revision of my practicum proposal (part 5). 4 weeks left in the professional ethics course. I am trying to schedule fewer work hours in Jan-March so that I can get the practicum done in 1 term.

My practicum proposal was approved! only took me 3 terms...like I said above, leave yourself PLENTY of time to write this.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Just turned in my final project for professional health care ethics. 13 courses down, 3 to go. next term is the practicum project followed by global health topics and finally the doctoral analysis. I have been keeping a file of things I want to include in the DA paper throughout the program so the paper should write itself.

getting close. still loving the program. It has made me a much better writer and exposed me to a number of topics I would not have encountered otherwise.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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This term I am in the practicum course. This course requires completion of a 25-40 page paper and an "educational resource" that teaches something to an audience in need of that information. It must have a health promotion/disease prevention focus. This course is essentially a continuation of the internship and practicum proposal course, which I completed last term. During the 12 weeks of the term, the proposal is revised and updated to become a practicum report and the educational resource is created. The syllabus is very well laid out with clear expectations. I am working a lighter load than normal( I cut down to full time...) for the next several months to make sure I have enough time to devote to this course. I'm very much looking forward to expanding my proposal paper, as it is a topic I am passionate about based on my experiences in Haiti.

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Congrats! Everything is starting to near the end for you.  I just started Health Policy and it is my 6th class.  I am feeling a little irritated already and it is only week 1.  This class has zero required interaction with peers.  No requirement to even comment on peer posts.  The work is a weekly paper 3-6 pages and weekly discussion board posting summarizing an article on health policy and then commenting on how it relates to policy.  So...summarize a bunch of readings (first week reading: 10 chapters between 2 books and 6 websites) and give recommendations.  Turn in paper and be graded on your ability to summarize readings basically.  A good chunk of this program feels like it is just a paper-writing-mill.  I know it is distance learning, but there are other ways that can be incorporated so there is actually teaching involved on the instructors part.  Why does it always have to be a paper after paper? 

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are you taking global health policy or the other health policy course?

I did global health policy and found it quite challenging in terms of time management while working full time as there was a significant paper due each week. mine averaged 6-9 pages/week for the whole term to cover all the points the instructor required.

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It is the other health policy, planning, and management 8090 class.  I feel the papers will probably be closer to 6 or more for this class as well.  The first paper is about discussing issues and challenges involved in the development of fair and equitable health policy.  Given the 10 chapters and 6 websites....the writing could go on and on.  

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yup, policy was a tough class, right up there with epidemiology and stats as the hardest in the program so far. I have global health issues next term, which is taught by the same professor who does global health policy and I have heard it is a similar course load so I am planning to reserve lots of time each week to get the papers done. after that it's the DA course and I'm done! Once I have the DHSc in hand I am going to approach the folks at Medex about a one day/mo teaching gig. I would prefer to do interactive small group discussion sections as opposed to giving lectures. I prefer that dynamic with students. hopefully they have, or can create, a 1-2 hr time slot once/mo for me to work with students on clinical medicine or emergency medicine topics in a PBL format. Eventually I will likely do more teaching and less clinical, but can't ever see doing only teaching. we'll see how the next few years go.

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...I would prefer to do interactive small group discussion sections as opposed to giving lectures. I prefer that dynamic with students. hopefully they have, or can create, a 1-2 hr time slot once/mo for me to work with students on clinical medicine or emergency medicine topics in a PBL format...

 

We have a weekly, 2-hour EM PBL done with our EM PA professor. We go through about two cases, start to finish. It's an absolutely awesome way to learn, everyone gets a lot out of it.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Global health issues is not being offered next term so I will do the doctoral analysis a term early and hope global health issues is offered in the summer term. If not, I will have to wait until it is offered as it will be my last required course for the program.

Currently in week 3 of the practicum course and enjoying it. Dr. Robins gives good feedback on the different sections of the practicum report. I have a 10 page updated review of the literature due next week and have it almost done at this point.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Just turned in chapters 2 and 3 of the practicum report and have a solid start on my required educational tool to accompany the project. I am doing a PowerPoint presentation to be viewed by a group of clinicians.

The Practicum report and PowerPoint are each about 30 pages now with more work to be done.

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I'm in week 5 of Health Policy.....As I suspected week 1, this class is just me turning over a couple grand and a weekly paper/web post.  No interaction required at all.  The instructor went to Ethiopia for a couple weeks last month and told us she may have issues with internet access.  As long as the paper meets the technical requirements you get all the points.  Yes, I am indeed learning something by compiling information into a paper, but i am learning it on my own.  Again, I know this is distance learning, but I have no respect for an instructor who does zero actual teaching and gets paid for it.....Well that's my little rant about that.  My other classes have not been like this.  So, not giving up on the program.  

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