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Health and Human Services News

  • McQueary College of Health and Human Services

Archives for September 2020

Diversity and inclusion: A top priority 

September 17, 2020 by admin

students look through a microscope in lab

At Missouri State University, our three-pillared Public Affairs Mission drives everything we do.  

Ethical leadership. Cultural competence. Community engagement. These are the foundations for each program, event, lesson, discussion and initiative at the university. 

Recently, the need for cultural competence has come to center stage, and we know there is always work to be done to be a more inclusive and supportive institution. 

In the McQueary College of Health and Human Services, we developed a comprehensive list of initiatives to ensure we are doing whatever we can to provide supportive and inclusive instruction within the college.  

MCHHS Initiatives 

  • Host MCHHS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Speaker Series. 
  • Mandate Faculty Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council representation at every MCHHS leadership meeting. 
  • Establish a Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.  
  • Seek faculty-wide training related to diversity and inclusion in healthcare. 
  • Expand inclusion in classroom instruction. 
  • Utilize best practices in accessibility, diversity and cultural competence in reviewing teaching materials for all classes. 
  • Update and modify many courses to include a diversity and inclusion component. 

View all initiatives

Campus resources 

MSU aims to provide resources for every student to feel supported at every step of their college journey. Here are some good places to start:  

  • Multicultural resource center. 
  • Bias response team. 
  • Disability resource center. 
  • Office of student conduct. 
  • Title IX resources. 

Filed Under: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tagged With: bias response team, disability resource center, diversity, equity, inclusion, multicultural resource center, office of student conduct, Title IX

Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic clocks successful summer online

September 3, 2020 by Strategic Communication

March 17, 2020 is a day many MSU students and faculty won’t soon forget. In the middle of spring break, the university moved the remaining semester fully online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic, online instruction meant in-person therapy sessions with clients wasn’t an option.

So, they got to work.

Sign outside door that reads "Speech-language-hearing clinic"
The Communication Sciences and Disorders Clinic in the Professional Building provides evaluation and treatment for all ages in the areas of Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Finishing spring 2020

Many speech-language pathology (SLP) graduate students clock clinical hours here. Practice in a real environment with actual clients, as opposed to simulated labs, accounts for more than 75% of their hours.

It was imperative, for students and patients, the clinic resumed operation as soon as possible.

“We wanted to be able to provide that community again,” said Lauren Jones, director of the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic.

For the remainder of the semester, students used their limited simulation allowance to clock clinical hours, while faculty and staff ran the race to restructure the clinic for the summer.

Transitioning online

The move to a fully online clinic was multi-faceted.

The transition included switching student logins to multi-factor authentication to protect patient files accessed from outside the university. It was not an easy task.

“The team in information security helped push that through,” Jones said. “They advocated for us, and that was huge.”

After licensing Zoom accounts, securing information and making it accessible from home, the clinic logged on for teletherapy.

Close up of hands instructing on a piece of paper
Before COVID-19, students in the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic worked with patients one-on-one.

Summer 2020

For Jennifer Pratt, clinical associate professor of communication sciences and disorders, moving online worried her at first. She works primarily with stroke patients who have difficulty processing new information.

“I couldn’t envision how it was going to work without being right there with them,” Pratt said.

But Pratt’s meetings went better than she hoped.

“The clients adapted. They were comfortable in their homes. They were very productive with their work on the sessions,” Pratt said. “There were so many positive aspects of it, and it opened my eyes to a different way of delivering services and teaching our students.”

Students reinforce the success of the summer semester.

Before moving to teletherapy, students worked with patients one-on-one, with a supervisor watching from another room. On Zoom, they lead sessions in small groups.

Amber Holko, an SLP graduate student, loved the newfound collaboration with her peers.

“It was the most positive and constructive group assignment I’ve ever done,” Holko said. “We all gave 110% because we knew our assignment had a direct effect on our patients.”

Changes for the better

While group therapy is a temporary change for the clinic in the age of COVID-19, some changes may stick around.

Teletherapy is increasing in demand. Jones hopes the clinic can continue to offer the experience to students and patients, even after COVID-19.

“This situation opened our eyes to the importance of meeting the needs of our patients,” Jones said. “When the COVID situation improves, we’ll bring people back on site, but we are looking at offering more hybrid models in the future.”

Overall, the experience and the changes pair often with one word: positive.

“My takeaway from this time is asking, ‘Would we have done this if we hadn’t been forced?’” Pratt said. “It’s exciting to think about our opportunities for the future, and to see something good come out of this.”

Filed Under: MCHHS News Tagged With: Amber Holko, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Jennifer Pratt, Lauren Jones, Speech Language and Hearing Clinic

MCHHS student organizations spotlight: Student Nurse Organization

September 2, 2020 by Strategic Communication

Nursing school is a big commitment. The Student Nurse Organization (SNO) at MSU wants to make sure no one goes through nursing school alone.   

SNO’s mission: To empower future nurses by promoting community engagement through service events and providing a system of support through the undergraduate nursing experience.  

“We hope members take away that nursing is a community-centered profession,” said Madelyn Cooper, SNO president. “We hope they graduate with a sense of compassion and care for all members of the community.” 

SNO members practice community engagement through different service ventures, like making care packages for Harmony House, meeting with nursing home residents and donating to local food banks.  

SNO during COVID-19 

In the time of COVID-19, SNO looks different but is still available to provide a community for nursing students. 

“Right now, we are choosing service events that minimize exposure as much as possible,” Cooper said. “We are encouraging members to utilize resources that allow community service to be done from home.” 

All meetings will be held over Zoom.  

Want to join? 

The first meetings of the fall 2020 semester are Sept. 3. Zoom links are on SNO’s Campus Link.  

  • Current nursing students meet at 1 p.m.  
  • Pre-nursing students meet at 4 p.m. 
  • For more information, join the SNO group on Facebook and follow SNO on Twitter.  

Learn more about SNO

Filed Under: Student organization spotlights Tagged With: Nursing, School of Nursing

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