Have you ever wondered how health professionals track the source of a pathogen? Or how they notify the community about its spread? Students in this year’s Health Professions Living Learning Community (LLC) recently learned how, thanks to School of Public and Population Health Student Ambassadors and members of the Pre-Med Student Club.
This semester, a group of students and faculty led LLC students through a foodborne illness outbreak simulation, where participants got the chance to learn about the important work of clinicians and public health professionals for an evening.
“I really enjoy watching students engage with this outbreak activity,” said Associate Teaching Professor and Health Studies Program Director Travis Armstrong. “At first, the students tend to be apprehensive and tentative, but by the end of the activity, they are very engaged and animated.”
This activity was developed by Professor and Associate Director for Student Engagement and Impact Jaime Sand, alongside Armstrong, to introduce students to the many ways clinicians and public health professionals interact to improve community health with an upstream approach.
A Game of Professional Clue
The simulation leaders guided 35 students through five stations on the hunt for where the mock pathogen originated and what exactly it is that continues to make community members ill.
Given a list of potential pathogen sources (such as fake local fast food restaurants and their menu items) and a variety of potential pathogens, participants must visit all five stations to gather their clues. The students read through a patient intake file and meet with a pathologist, two ill community members and a news reporter all played by the simulation leaders.
Each of the student participants also takes on a specific role as part of their fact finding mission. The “health data analyst” takes notes for the team, a “public health consultant” makes sure all facts are collected, the “epidemiologist” is on the hunt for exposure clues, the “clinician” listens carefully for present signs and symptoms and the “healthcare administrator” leads their team through each station.
Armstrong hopes students take away the idea that they can embark on healthcare-focused careers in a variety of paths outside of traditional clinical roles.
“This activity demonstrates that if one works in a clinical occupation such as a physician, they can also work in a setting, role or even mindset that addresses larger public health issues,” Armstrong said.
Once the participants have completed all five stations, they are asked to compile their evidence and report their findings to the whole group.
Angie Siqueiros, a second year pre-radiologic science student and Pre-Med Club member, took part in this activity as one of the simulation leaders by taking on the role of an ill patient. Siqueiros shared her symptoms with the participants, leading them to their next clue.
“I enjoyed experiencing the different approaches that students took to asking me questions about my symptoms, and then seeing them figure out the cause by eliminating different possibilities,” Siqueiros said.
Looking forward to one day working in a clinical setting herself, Siqueiros said she hopes the participants understood how effective communication and teamwork leads to better health outcomes when a variety of health professionals are involved.
“I hope students learned to ask detailed questions and collaborate with each other to be able to come to a mutual agreement,” Siqueiros said.
Becoming a Health Professional with the Help of Others
Aside from learning the intricacies of public health and clinical health work through this simulation — the school’s Student Ambassadors also shared what it is like to be an SPPH student working toward becoming a health professional.
Jamisen Kovach, a junior health studies major and SPPH Ambassador, wanted to share her community-oriented experiences with SPPH in addition to helping the LLC students learn about the variety of courses and programming available in the school. Just as students must work together to complete this simulation, Jamisen credits the success of her health training to the peers and faculty that have helped her along the way.
“I have been able to form connections within the health field and create friendships that will last a lifetime,” Kovach said. “Even though there are many SPPH students, it never feels like someone is too busy to talk to you. Every single person — whether they’re a student or a faculty member — always tries to help each other out.”