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SUMMARY of proposal
Institution/Organization Name:
ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY (ASU) Address: 504 College Drive, Albany GA 31705
Project Director: Granville
E. Wrensford, Ph.D.
Phone: 229-420-1095
Fax: 229-420-1094
Email:
granville.wrensford@asurams.edu
Project
Title: Comprehensive Health Careers Opportunity Program at ASU
ABSTRACT
This proposal
addresses the continuing need to provide economically and educationally
disadvantaged students, particularly those who are members of under-represented
minorities, with opportunities to enter the health professions. It seeks
to develop a more competitive applicant pool through partnerships with
several health professional schools, two hospitals, a pharmaceutical company,
the area’s chamber of commerce, a local school district and three non-profit
community organizations.
The activities
will include recruitment, preliminary education, facilitation
of entry, counseling, mentoring and other services, primary care exposure
activities and financial aid information dissemination. These
activities will target students at four key areas along the educational
pipeline – middle and high school students, entering university freshmen
and university students. Included in the activities will be a summer residential
enrichment program for entering university freshmen and a summer residential
enrichment program for university juniors. Year long enrichment activities
such as tutoring, mentoring, test taking skills, and critical thinking
workshops for middle and high school students as well as university students
will be offered.
To implement
the project, Albany State University will use the requested funds to expand
its existing programs of pre-professional preparation, that focus services
on students with economic and academic disadvantages. Without our help,
these barriers could become insurmountable in the pursuit of a health professions
career. The university and its partners will contribute significant in-kind
resources to ensure the success of the project.
I. PURPOSE AND PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS
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NEEDS ASSESSMENT/INSTITUTIONAL
COMMITMENT
Southwest Georgia
(the area served by ASU) is an area where critical shortages of health
care professionals exist, especially minority providers. This part of the
state consists of thirty-eight rural counties with significant minority
(particularly African-American) populations. Looking at the top five counties
with regards to 1998 ASU freshmen enrollment in the region there is a significant
level of poverty as well. Of the thirty-eight counties in the region, thirty-three
entire counties and parts of three others are classified as Medically Underserved
Areas (MUAs), and twenty-two counties are Health Professional Shortage
Areas (HPSAs). Not only does Southwest Georgia has a deficit of 480 physicians,
but a comparison of our region to Georgia as a whole for selected health
professions revealed lower rates for our area per 100,000 population. Clearly
the region is under-represented in number of health professionals available
to the population. Contributing to the lack of qualified health professionals
from among the disadvantaged and minority populations are three specific
problems that have been identified:
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Deficiencies in
the academic training of college bound students in English usage, reading
and vocabulary, quantitative analytical skills, mathematical functions,
and test taking skills.
-
Inadequate exposure
of middle, high school and university students to motivational activities
that provide comprehensive information concerning careers in the health
professions as well as exposure to suitable role models.
-
Difficulties encountered
by pre-health professional students in performing well on standardized
tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), American College Test
(ACT), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Medical College Admissions
Test (MCAT).
Against this background,
the university will establish the proposed Comprehensive Health Careers
Opportunity Program and will provide substantial support to the project.
The president of ASU will serve as an active member of the advisory board
to the project. The university will provide free housing to participants
of two summer programs and faculty time contributions to serve as academic
advisors to the participants during the academic year. The department of
Natural Sciences will provide in kind contributions in the form of office
space, classroom space, computer labs and computers, other multimedia equipment,
clerical supplies, phone, fax and photocopying services as well as the
very important use of laboratory space, chemical and biological supplies.
B. OBJECTIVES
Objective
1 (Recruitment):
To increase
the number of disadvantaged students who have indicated an interest in
a health profession by at least 15 each year.
TARGET POPULATION:
Middle and High School students, University Students.
Objective
2 (Preliminary Education):
To enhance each
year the potential of 25 disadvantaged entering freshmen to complete their
undergraduate studies and be adequately prepared for admission to health
profession schools. TARGET POPULATION: Entering University Freshmen.
Objective
3 (Facilitation of Entry):
To increase
the number of Albany State University’s students entering health professional
schools over the 1998 number (five). We’ll target an increase to eleven
students by 2000, thirteen students by 2001, and fifteen students by 2002.
TARGET POPULATION: University Students.
Objective
4 (Counseling, Mentoring and other Services):
To increase
the percentage of ASU students who successfully complete (grade of C or
better) the General Chemistry course from 27% to 40% and/or the General
Biology (Zoology) course from 43% to 55% over the three year grant period.
TARGET POPULATION: High School students, University Students.
Objective
5 (Primary Care Exposure Activities):
To provide at
least 15, disadvantaged university students with intensive exposure to
the health professions each year. TARGET POPULATION: University Students.
Objective
6 (Financial Aid Information dissemination):
To increase
the amount and frequency with which students and parents from disadvantaged
backgrounds receive financial aid information.
TARGET POPULATION:
Middle and High School students, University Students and Parents.
C. METHODOLOGY
Objective
1 (Recruitment):
This
will be achieved by identifying and recruiting students who have a potential
for, and interest in, health careers and enrolling them in HCOP activities
such as academic advising, tutoring, and mentoring.
Objective
2 (Preliminary Education):
This will be
accomplished by conducting a seven week summer science enrichment program
that will engage the participants in an intensive integrated course of
study.
Objective
3 (Facilitation of Entry):
This will be
accomplished through a pre-junior year summer program with internship and
career enhancement activities integrated throughout the junior and senior
years.
Objective
4 (Counseling, Mentoring and other Services):
To accomplish
this objective the department of natural sciences intends to expand the
tutorial assistance, computer access and other resources to students in
these courses.
Objective
5 (Primary Care Exposure Activities):
This will be
accomplished by providing internship experiences for the students at local
health care facilities.
Objective
6 (Financial Aid Information dissemination):
This will be
achieved by conducting at least 10 financial aid workshops and developing
internet web resources for the retrieval of health career professions financial
aid.
D. EVALUATION
The number of students successfully completing the activities, and the
number deciding to choose a health career will be tabulated by the program
staff. All participants will be continually tracked through their undergraduate
years, entry into and graduation from a health profession school. This
will be achieved by compiling a data-base of all participants. The data-base
will contain relevant information such as academic transcripts, enrollment
in professional or graduate school, and job placement after completion
of studies. The data base will be updated each semester by mailings and
/or telephone calls from the program’s staff to the participants. A comprehensive
annual evaluation will be conducted by an external consultant. The results
of the evaluation will be used by the program staff to improve the program
for subsequent years.
©Albany State University Health Careers
Opportunity Program and related affiliates. This program is funded by the Health
Resources Services Administration of the department of Health and Human Services
Grant # 1D18HP03995-01,
Albany State
University, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Georgia Department of
Community Health/Office of Rural Health Services.
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January 2006
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