Preparation of Future Leaders in Worksite Health Promotion

1
Preparation of Future Leaders in Worksite Health
Promotion
Jeff Lynn and Patricia Pierce
Department of Exercise Rehabilitative Sciences,
Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA
Summary of Program
Evaluation Plan
Abstract

• The Wellness Promotion course includes
• Development and presentation of an information
  booth at a health expo
• Research for and creation of pamphlets and flyers
  for wellness related topics or event promotions
• A grant writing project designed to fund a
  worksite wellness program
• Creation of needs analyses, interest surveys,
  program plans with SMART goals, and assessment
  plans
• An understanding of management principles
  including budgeting and human resources
• The Senior Synthesis class includes
• A semester-long personal training experience with
  a client from the community
• Responsibility for fitness assessment, SMART goal
  development, individualized prescription,
  documentation, and professional communication
• Resume writing and interviewing skills
• In multiple senior level courses, students learn
  and practice wellness coaching
• skills and behavior change strategies.
  Students learn to use the transtheoretical
• model and focus is placed on practicing
  motivational interviewing
• Throughout the curriculum, increasing
  emphasis is placed on practical application
• of knowledge.

• At the conclusion of the internship, intern
  supervisors evaluated students in several
  categories using a 5-point Likert scale. For the
  present analysis, the following questions were
  analyzed
• How would you rate the students overall
  performance relative to other interns and/or
  entry level professionals?
• 5Superior, 4Above Average, 3Average,
  2Below Average, 1Poor
• This intern is adequately prepared for an entry
  level position.
• 5Strongly Agree, 4Agree, 3Somewhat Agree,
  2Disagree, 1Strongly Disagree
• The percentage of intern supervisor and
  student responses of 4 or 5 was calculated.
• Data were analyzed for a 2-year period
  (2011-2013 n 198).
• Intern supervisors were also encouraged to
  provide qualitative feedback.

Organization The Exercise Science major at
Slippery Rock University is an accredited 4-year
baccalaureate program.   Summary of the Primary
Program Students earning the BS degree learn and
practice wellness coaching skills and demonstrate
the ability to use behavior change principles,
particularly the Transtheoretical Model and
Motivational Interviewing. An entire course is
devoted to understanding the intricacies of
working in or managing worksite health promotion
programs. Students also develop proficiency in
prescribing goal driven comprehensive exercise
programs for all individuals. The culminating
experience in the program is a 480-hour
internship wherein students work full time in a
wellness-related facility. Each student is
required to implement a wellness program at their
internship site.   Explanation of the evaluation
plan As part of a comprehensive evaluation, the
internship site supervisors rated the interns
(Likert 1-5) on whether s/he is adequately
prepared for a position with their company.
  Summary of the program impact Of the 198
students who completed internships in the past 2
years, 88 received a rating of strongly agree
and 11 were rated agree that they were well
prepared for employment in the wellness industry.
Organization

• Slippery Rock University (SRU) is part of the
  Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
  SRU has 60 undergraduate and 20 graduate
  programs. The largest program on campus is
  Exercise Science.
• The Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science
  Program at SRU is accredited by the Coalition on
  Accreditation of Exercise Science (CoAES)
• There are 600 Exercise Science majors at SRU,
  and 80-90 of graduates continue to a graduate
  program in clinical health science. Others are
  highly successful in worksite wellness/fitness
  programs.
• Curriculum content includes the ACSM KSAs (now
  JTAs) and is carefully managed with prerequisites
  and corequisites.
• The program places increasing focus on
  practical applications and experiences as the
  student progresses.
• A grade of C or better is required in all
  upper division Exercise Science classes and a GPA
  of 2.75 must be maintained both overall and in
  the major.

Program Impact
Supervisors Rating Superior
Above Average Overall Performance
64 35 Supervisors
Rating Strongly Agree Agree
Adequately Prepared 88 11
Samples of qualitative feedback from intern
supervisors She gave a great presentation for
our employees and created professional flyers and
bulletin boards Impressed with her ability to
communicate with our older clients Had
great understanding of theory and concepts of
exercise science and immediately demonstrated the
skills and confidence to employ her knowledge
Extremely well prepared for a competitive
and demanding internship Displayed a
wide range of knowledge and competency in
exercise testing and prescription Able to
indicate when she should take initiative or reach
out for assistance