Community Health Concentration
Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental principles and issues common to the major fields of health and human services including health and social welfare and demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities pertinent to the health and/or human service concentration area(s) selected.

Core Competencies:

Knowledge: Demonstrate an understanding of the health status of populations, determinants of health and illness, factors contributing to health promotion and disease prevention and factors influencing the use of health services through an application of various public health disciplines including:

• health education and promotion
• health policy and management
• epidemiology
• demography
• environmental health
• maternal and child health
• nutrition
• infectious diseases

Skills: Demonstrate the ability to assess a community health issue through development of a program plan or evaluation, or a policy analysis memo.

Attitudes: Demonstrate the ability to differentiate between the roles and responsibilities of Public Health and the medical profession and CBOs and the basic principle of public health as social justice.

Supporting Competencies:

Knowledge:

• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the socioeconomic, cultural, and political influences on our definitions of health and illness, and policies, i.e., how public attitudes influence policy
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the historical development, structure, function, and politics of the major institutional and professional providers in the health care system including the major local, state and federal public health agencies and private providers
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of health care financing including public health and personal health care services, e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance with a focus on the current managed care system/models
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the major service delivery access issues for various populations, e.g., uninsured, homeless, seniors, immigrants, etc.
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of U.S. health care reform efforts
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the U.S. health care system as it compares with other international and universal health care systems
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the economics of health care and issues of "equity"
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the politics and role of different interest groups' influence and policy development, i.e., funding and resource allocation politics, grassroots organizing, etc.
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the different behavior assessment/change theories, strategies and public health issues which include the health belief, harm reduction, and precede/proceed models
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the politics and resource issues involved in policy and program development, i.e., needs vs. resources and political feasibility
• Ability to demonstrate a basic understanding of demographics and their uses
• Ability to demonstrate a basic understanding of epidemiologic principles and practices
• Ability to define and evaluate health problems/issues
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of basic research designs used in public health
• Ability to do a literature review and article critique

Skills:

• Ability to collect and summarize data relevant to an issue in policy and program development, implementation and evaluation
• Ability to identify public health laws, regulations and policies related to specific programs
• Ability to understand and articulate policy options
• Ability to understand and articulate the expected outcomes and feasibility of policy options
• Ability to decide on an appropriate course of action
• Ability to write a clear, concise policy statement
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the interaction between (macro) political and (micro) program issues
• Ability to investigate and identify a community health issue or problem
• Ability to write a statement of purpose, program description, and scope of work
• Ability to develop program goals, objectives, and activities
• Ability to do a literature review and article critique
  

Attitudes:

• Ability to understand public health's focus on the population vs. the individual's health, i.e., health of the community
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the differences in roles and responsibilities of a public health professional with different community groups and legislators in different settings/situations
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between public health and medicine
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the difference between clinical bioethics, i.e., clinical approaches and treatment of individual patients/clients and public health's broader responsibilities to the community and the population
• Triaging
• Individual rights vs. population health: Tension between professional consideration of restrictions on individual behavior to protect the population's health and social status
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of financial interests vs. health and social interests in society
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the basic health advocacy theories and methods
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the politics and role of "special interest groups"

Social Work Concentration

Core Competencies:

Knowledge: The student knows about diversity, is well versed in the history of social movements, understands how social policy is developed, knows the social policy foundations for social programs, and is conversant with human development issues.

Skills: The student knows how to work with individuals, groups, and communities; how to interview; how to assess, plan, and evaluate; how to think critically; how to use self effectively; and to manage time and priorities well.

Attitudes: The student approaches her or his work with an open, curious mind and with an appreciation for self while valuing the differences of others. He or she challenges inconsistencies and promotes growth and development for self and for others in an ethical manner.

Supporting Competencies:

Knowledge:

• Identifies for her- or himself the necessary skills, abilities, and knowledge needed to be a successful entry-level practitioner
• Identifies commonalties across the helping professions
• Identifies the differences across the helping professions
• Relates general themes and processes of social and health policy
• Discusses basic social problems both at large and in the given community
• Identifies/discovers and discusses the policy context (i.e., the legal authority) for a specific intervention
• Discusses fundamental characteristics of the core human services arenas and the policy bases for related programs
• Identifies and discusses key historical themes and issues related to all the helping professions
  

Interviewing Skills:

• Identifies the purpose of any given interview
• Demonstrates sensitivity to the nature of the interview environment
• Gathers critical information
• Demonstrates understanding of the fundamental role of relationship and relationship building to the successful interview
• Is attentive to the person (client, co-worker, or other) who is speaking, including to nonverbal cues
• Demonstrates listening skills
• Demonstrates warmth, caring, genuineness and acceptance
• Demonstrates the ability to be empathic
• Demonstrates the ability to explore and elaborate upon the other's responses
• Conducts an appropriate assessment
• Constructs an appropriate case plan
• Constructs working agreements or contracts
• Evaluates agreements and plans
• Is sensitive to cross cultural issues
• Is sensitive to confidentiality, boundary issues, and other ethical matters
• Conducts an appropriate termination and transition

General Casework Skill (in addition to the above):

• Considers biological/physiological issues in assessing, planning, and intervening
• Considers psychological issues in assessing, planning, and intervening
• Considers socio-cultural issues in assessing, planning, and intervening
• Considers spiritual issues in assessing, planning, and intervening
  

Assessment and Planning Skills (in addition to the above):

• Identifies the critical elements of the community in which he or she is working
• Identifies the resources of the community in which he or she is working
• Identifies the above if they are not known
• Develops needed resources
  

Application of Knowledge of Developmental Issues:

• Summarizes physical, intellectual, personality, and social developmental issues of each of the major stages of life
• Applies knowledge of developmental issues in assessment, planning, and intervention activities

Critical Thinking Skills
(in addition to the above)*:

• Clarifies problems
• Identifies significant similarities and differences
• Recognizes contradictions and inconsistencies
• Refines generalizations and avoids oversimplifications
• Clarifies issues, conclusions, or beliefs
• Analyzes or evaluates arguments, misinterpretations, beliefs, or theories
• Identifies unstated assumptions
• Clarifies and analyzes the meanings of words or phrases
• Uses sound criteria for evaluation
• Clarifies values and standards
• Detects bias
• Distinguishes relevant form irrelevant questions, data, claims, or reasons
• Evaluates the accuracy of different sources of information ("evidence")
• Compares analogous situations; transfer insights to new situations
• Makes well reasoned inferences and predictions
• Compares and contrasts ideals with actual practice
• Discovers and accurately evaluates the implications and consequences of a proposed action
• Evaluates one's own reasoning process
• Raises and pursues root or significant questions
• Makes interdisciplinary connections
• Analyzes or evaluates actions or policies
• Explores thoughts underlying feelings and feelings underlying thoughts
• Designs and carries out critical tests of concepts, theories, and hypotheses
• Compares perspectives, interpretations, or theories
• Evaluates perspectives, interpretations, or theories

[* The material from this section is drawn primarily Eileen Gambrill's Social Work: A Critical Thinker's Guide]

Evaluation Skills (in addition to the above)

• Evaluates the impact of a direct service intervention
• Determines how well a social program is meetings its stated objectives
• Establishes a baseline
• Measures subsequent changes
• Compares changes relative to those of a control group (as appropriate)

Use of Self Skills and Self-Awareness (in addition to the above):

• Interacts with others in a nonjudgemental fashion
• Discusses the importance of the relationship with whom one is working and the process of relationship-building
• Reflects on one's self
• Identifies one's own biases
• Identifies one's own personal characteristics and values and beliefs
• Identifies one's own world view
• Identifies one's own personal interests and abilities
• Recognizes the influence of others on one's own personal identity development

Other Personal Skills:

• Demonstrates flexibility when working with others
• Maintains self control under adverse or stressful conditions (maintains demeanor, composure, and temperament)
• Demonstrates patience
• Tolerates ambiguity
• Builds rapport with clients, co-workers, other agency personnel, community members
• Persuades clients, coworkers, supervisor, and/or manager to her or her view of reality

Time Management Skills:

• Establishes and controls priorities
• Sets deadlines for work to be done
• Creates a productive work environment
• Delegates when possible

Political Skills:

• Articulates the legislative process at the local, state, and federal levels
• Understands power structures within organizations, communities, and other systems and can articulate the changing nature of power
• Relates existing community conditions to dynamics of power and design relevant interventions

Course(s):

Contact a faulty member for additional clarification on courses for this MLO.
Introduction to Social Work - SW 310
Introduction to Community Health - PH 320
Junior Field Practice Seminar (Field Hours) - CHHS 396 S
Junior Field Practice Seminar (Field Hours) - CHHS 398 S
Advanced Social Work Practice - SW 410 - (formerly CHHS 410)
Advanced Multicultural Health Education - SW 420 - (formerly CHHS 420)
Senior Field Practice Seminar (Field Hours) - CHHS 496 A
Senior Field Practice Seminar (Field Hours) - CHHS 496 B