CHCS - Perspectives - Summer/Fall 2014

PERSPECTIVES • SUMMER–FALL 2014 2 According to the Merriam-Webster Dic- tionary , best practice is defined as “a pro- cedure that has been shown by research and experience to produce optimal results and that is established or proposed as a standard suitable for widespread adop- tion.” The world of health care is fraught with a multiplicity of theories, remedies, and approaches to solving every ailment that afflicts us or preventing any that may in the future. In this rather congested and sometimes complicated information highway, con- sumers are rightly confused as to what works and what does not. In the world of health education, similar phenomena exist, and so health educators must em- brace approaches that effectively and effi- ciently manage that process. One way to achieve that goal is by developing and adopting best-practice approaches that are grounded in sound science and evi- dence-based solutions. Notably, this issue of Perspectives maga- zine highlights five best practices in health education, which have been em- braced by the College of Health Care Sciences (CHCS). About a year ago, the college constituted a Best Practices in Health Education Taskforce with the charge to review existing literature and assess current practices in five different areas of health care education toward a goal of staying current and ahead in the delivery of health education. They are in- terprofessional education, use of stan- dardized patients, simulation, hybrid- ization education, and innovation in clinical education. Following the taskforce’s initial work, sub taskforces from each of those areas presented lunchtime seminars and work- shops to the university’s faculty members and students. The seminars and work- shops provided an opportunity for faculty members to dialogue with experts and each other about current and future best practices in health education, with a goal of integration and adoption into the col- lege programs’ curricula. Importantly, best practices are only meaningful if they are implemented and so, in this issue of Perspectives , you will be able to peek into the window of how the CHCS has begun to weave those best practices into the fab- ric of all its programs. The rapid pace of and easy access to new information, at times erroneous, can lead to inefficiencies and inaccuracies if not consumed or delivered appropriately. As technology and new knowledge drives us forward into novel and exciting ap- proaches, it is important that health edu- cators avoid becoming so enamored by the shiny new toys that they fail to critically analyze the efficacy of the approaches. The employment of best-practice ap- proaches in health education is one way to ensure that a reasoned approach is em- braced in the fast-moving landscape called health care. And yet this is not a reason to avoid risks. Instead, it is a call to cultivate an educational environment of dynamism where we shun the mundane and mediocre so as to adopt the excep- tional and excellent. The CHCS is fully committed to offer- ing proven programs and practices that are on the cutting edge and that offer the best in health education. We pledge to lead the way in advancing innovative health education programming that ben- efits faculty members, students, and the public at large. The ultimate aim is to improve the health of those whom we serve and to create an environment that incorporates best practices in health education not as a novelty, but as a stan- dard. In summary, as you peruse this edi- tion of Perspectives , I ask you to partner with us in advancing an agenda that con- tinuously emphasizes best practices in health education. DeAn’s MessAge “I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.” ― Abraham Lincoln Stanley Wilson, Ed.D. “...it is a call to cultivate an educational environment of dynamism where we shun the mundane and mediocre so as to adopt the exceptional and excellent.”