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Department of Public Health
Executive MPH
DPH 767- Case Studies in Health Policy and Administration
Fieldwork Program
The University of Southern Mississippi
Department of Public Health
118 College Drive #5122
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
Phone: 601-266-5437 fax: 601-266-5043
601-266-4911
Contents
Introduction 3
Overview of the Case Study Program 3
Choosing the Organization 4
Responsibilities 4
Case Study Requirements 4
Case Study Evaluation 4
Additional Considerations 4
Fieldwork Objectives 8
Appendices
Appendix A-1 Registration for Case Study Health Policy
And Administration 6
Appendix C- Preceptor’s Evaluation of Student 7
Introduction
The material within provides information about fieldwork in our Executive MPH program. Program policies and procedures are addressed, and the various forms needed are appended.
Executive MPH students are expected to complete 200-400 hours of fieldwork/case study. Fieldwork requires the Executive students to use knowledge and skills from the academic setting to develop a detailed analysis and strategic plan for a healthcare organization. The expertise students bring to the healthcare organization to be studied should make a meaningful contribution to the facility, and the experience gained from the development of the case study should contribute to the student’s professional development.
Overview of the Fieldwork Program
Each Executive MPH student is required to take DPH 767, Case Studies in Health Services Administration, in his/her last semester. During this course, each student develops a strategic plan for a health care organization; the organization cannot be the one in which they are employed at the time of their final semester.
The case study requires personal interviews, observations and analysis of the selected health care provider organization. Efforts and activities in the development of this case study serve as the practicum experience of the Executive MPH student.
The case study is developed under the supervision of the Executive MPH program director, who serves as both the practicum supervisor and the course professor. The program director will provide general guidelines to the case study in the semester prior to beginning the course.
The organization selected requires the approval of the course professor The CEO or a senior executive of the organization must agree for the project to be conducted at the site. At least one personal on-site visit will be made by the program director to each site if requested by the organization.
The final case project is completed individually (though the assistance and input from other classmates and professionals are encouraged).
Course Integration
The semester prior to taking DPH 767, students enroll in DPH 727,Strategic Planning for Health Care Organizations. Each student is required to complete at least one in-class plan for an organization selected by the professor. This in-class project is completed in pre-assigned groups. Additionally, each student will (individually) complete a strategic plan for the organization in which they are employed at the time of the final semester. Both of these plans will be completed using the format and methodology assigned at the beginning of the semester, and will prepare each student for the final case study in the following semester.
Choosing the Organization
There are a number of things students should consider when choosing a site. Candidly and professionally address issues such as:
· compatibility with your interests and career objective
· opportunity for professional development
· potential for employment
· your interest in the duties and projects described by the preceptor
· potential for mentoring provided by the preceptor
· networking opportunities
Responsibilities
Responsibilities of all involved parties are addressed in this field guide as well as the syllabus for the course. Please review these documents and discuss with the program director before beginning your search of the healthcare organization to be studied.
Case Study Requirements
Case Study Report. At the end of the course, each student will submit a written report of their comprehensive project. A timesheet listing the number of hours devoted on analysis and development of the strategic plan is to be submitted along with the written report.
Project Defense. The culminating event of the fieldwork will be a formal presentation to a 4-faculty panel and all other students in the cohort. Each presentation will be allotted a maximum of 30 minutes in which to render the report. An additional (and maximum) 10 minutes is allowed for faculty questions and response by the student. If the presentation does not consume all 30 minutes, the unused time is added to the 10-minute defense. A total of 40 minutes is allowed for the presentation and defense. Each student is required to attend all presentations regardless of the assigned time for their particular presentation. Failure to complete this attendance requirement will result in a Fail (F) grade for the comprehensive examination.
Case Study Evaluation
Students will be graded by each member of the faculty panel. These grades will represent 75% of the student’s final grade on the comprehensive examination. Additionally, the course professor will grade each written presentation separately. This grade will represent 25% of the final grade on the comprehensive examination.
Additional Considerations
Safety Precautions. The University of Southern Mississippi cannot guarantee the safety of fieldwork sites. Students should discuss safety issues with the preceptor prior to finalizing the agreement. Students should take precautions to protect their safety and express any concerns about safety issues to the preceptor or other appropriate organizational personnel and advisor. Students should not engage in any activity where there is reason to be concerned about safety.
Sexual Harassment. The University of Southern Mississippi, in its efforts to foster an environment of respect for the dignity and worth of all members of the university community, is committed to maintaining a work-learning environment free of sexual harassment. It is the policy of the university that no member of its community shall sexually harass another. Any employee or student who violates this policy is subject to disciplinary action including termination. Sexual harassment is illegal under both state and federal law.
A student who is subjected to sexual harassment during fieldwork should report the problem to the advisor fieldwork director or to the following office:
Office of Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity
The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive #5168
310 McLemore Hall
Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406-0001
Office: (601) 266-6618
Fax and TTY: (601) 266-6344
Appendix A-1 Registration for Fieldwork Health Policy and Administration
THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
REGISTRATION FOR FIELDWORK DPH 767
Health Policy and Administration Executive Format—3 Hrs
This form should be completed and signed by the student, signed by the preceptor, and the academic advisor before work begins.
Student Information
Name______Student ID______
Address ______
Phone Number ______E-mail ______
Faculty Advisor ______Semester/Year of Case Study ______
Preceptor Information
Name ______Title ______
Education/Degree of Preceptor______
Number of Years Worked in Health/Public Health/Health Education ______
Organization ______Department ______
Phone Number ______E-mail ______
Address ______
Organization Administration
Date of inception______
Tentative work schedule (hours and days of the week to meet the 200-400 hour expectation)
Proposed date for mid-term telephone review with preceptor
Appendix C- Preceptor’s Evaluation of Student
THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Preceptor’s Evaluation of Student
Organization Fieldwork Dates ______
Name of Preceptor Name of Student ______
Excellent / Good / Average / Poor / N/AI. Relations with others
1. Preceptor
2. Supervisors
3. Others
II. Communication skills
1. Oral
2. Written
III. Attitude, initiative and appearance
1. Willingness to accept constructive criticism
2. Self-reliance
3. Resourcefulness
4. Flexibility
5. Thoroughness
6. Dependability
7. Personal appearance
8. Maturity
IV. Results, performance and knowledge improvement
1. Improved knowledge of function of the program or organization
2. Productive use of time
3. Completes work assignments
4. Quality of work
5. Level of skill
V. Application/development of professional skills and knowledge
1. Common sense usage
2. Decision making ability
3. Ability to conceptualize
VI. Presentation of work product
1. Complete, concise, and well organized report
2. Thoroughness of subject matter
3. Comprehensive knowledge of topic
4. Utilization of graphics and data
VII. General comments or specific recommendations (strengths and weaknesses, level of achievement,
commitment, etc.):
Recommended grade: MPH CANDIDATES ___ Pass ____ Fail
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Signature of Preceptor Date
Please return to Program Manager, Executive MPH by mail to 118 College Dr., #5122, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, by fax to 601-266-5043 OR by e-mail at
Fieldwork Objectives
Indicate the program objectives that will be supported by fieldwork activities (circle the number of the objective to be accomplished: the activities anticipated by each are listed):
1. The Mission Statement (descriptive or creative)
Record the mission statement of the organization.
If the organization does not have a mission statement, write one that makes sense in the context of what you know about the organization.
Write an evaluation/analysis of the mission statement.
2. The Organizational Objectives (descriptive or creative)
Develop organization-wide objective for the organization in the case. These should number three to five and should be stated, as all good objectives are, in measurable terms.
3. The External & Industry Analyses (descriptive)
Write an evaluation of the external situation. This part of the report must consist of an appraisal of the regulatory, general economic, social, political, competitive, and technological environments.
Write an evaluation of those aspects of the health care industry that pertain to the organization.
This section should be fact-filled and should conclude with summaries of those aspects of the external environmental and the health care industry that will have significant impact on the organization during the life of the plan and beyond.
During this step you should demonstrate the following competencies: (1) Communicate health policy and management issues using appropriate channels and technologies; (2) Analyze current public health systems issues using U.S. and international historical models of health care delivery; (3) Analyze the impact of political, social, and economic policies on public health programs, services and organizations.
4. The Internal Analysis (descriptive)
Write an evaluation of the internal situation. This part of the report must consist of an appraisal of the various aspects of the internal operation of the organization including financial, marketing, physical plant, managerial, procedural, and clinical, etc. Provide a professional in depth presentation on the organizational financial analysis.
Like the external analysis, this section should be fact-filled and should conclude with summaries of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization that will be expected to be important in the development of the strategies for the future of the organization.
During this step you should demonstrate the following competencies: (1) Analyze the current issues o planning, resource allocation and financial and their effects on public health programs, services and organizations; (2) Use legal and ethical principles in public health decision making.
5. The Distillation of Opportunities and Threats (analytic)
This section of the report requires the planner/student to evaluate all of the information gathered in the environmental, industrial, and internal assessments and to develop a list of opportunities and threats that may impact the organization’s ability to successfully accomplish its objectives and fulfill its mission.
These opportunities and threats have their roots in the previous analyses. Therefore, each opportunity and each threat must be explained in terms that directly relate to the facts and summaries that are found in the previous sections of the report.
6. The identification of Strategic Issues (synthesis)
This portion of the report can be viewed as the problem statement. This is where the planner/student uses the opportunities and threats to delineate which specific issues in the environment and in the organization need to be addressed in the plan.
Each identified issue has its roots in the previously identified opportunities and threats. Therefore, each issue must be stated and explained in terms that are directly related to the list of opportunities and threats.
This step in the process requires judgment on the part of the planner/student. The identified issues that are judged to be strategic in nature will drive the rest of the strategic planning process. Therefore, each strategic issue should be accompanied by a supporting statement(s). This statement should present the rationale used for identifying the issue as strategic.
During this step you should demonstrate the following competencies: (1) Apply principles of strategic planning and marketing to public health programs, services and organizations; (2) Apply quality and performance improvement concepts to address organization performance issues; (3) Apply and utilize management and leadership concepts and skills in public health programs, services and organizations.
7. Formulation of Alternative Strategies (creative)
For the purposes of the CHS Capstone Course, all of the alternative strategies must be selected from the Hierarchy of Strategic Decisions and Alternatives found in exhibit 6-4 and 6-20 on pages 230 and 271 respectively of the Strategic Management text (Swayne, Duncan and Ginter). A summary table from an earlier edition of the text is attached to this handout. This forced conformity is done in an effort to assist the student in beginning to think strategically and not just in terms of solving problems.
For each delineated issue reported in Section 6 of the report, the planner/student should develop at least three alternative strategies.
Each of the alternative strategies must be accompanied by a paragraph explaining why that strategy should be considered as a means of addressing the strategic issue.
8. Selecting the optimal Strategies (decisive)
From the alternative strategies listed in section 7 of the report, construct a list of recommended strategies. Each recommended strategy should be accompanied by a paragraph that explains why that particular strategy was selected.
The optimal strategy or combination of strategies selected to address each strategic issue will do one of three things: 1) use an organizational strength to take advantage of an environmental opportunity; 2) overcome or compensate for an organizational weakness, or; 3) neutralize an environmental/competitive threat.
9. Develop an Implementation Plan and Budget (action)
Each recommended strategy has to be put into action. This part of the report delineates who, what and when of those actions. In other words, each recommended strategy should be listed along with what needs to be done in order to implement the strategy; who will be responsible for the implementation and; when the action should begin. Where possible, some effort should be made to quantify resources in terms of personnel and dollars that will be required for implementation.