Physical Therapy DPT - Community Service Projects

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

Beginning in the Spring semester of the first year and running through the Fall semester of year two, students work in small groups (generally 4-5 to a group) to plan and carry out a community service project. Each project is one in which students provide a physical therapy related service that attempts to meet a need within the community. Students make contact with a community agency or organization, and, in collaboration with that agency, identify a need, develop a formal proposal for a program, provide necessary instruction and follow-up, and evaluate their results. They write up a summary of their project, and at the end of the Fall semester, they present the project to the college community in a poster format.

This project is included in the physical therapy curriculum to help students to develop the skills required to initiate, plan, and participate in community service activities. This task is also consistent with the charter of New York Medical College, which includes the goal of 'serving the underserved'. The purpose of this project is for students to develop skills and demonstrate their commitment to the professional goal of community service through a meaningful experience.

Phase I

The primary goal for each group in the first phase of this project (Spring I semester) will be to develop a written proposal for the project in collaboration with a community agency or organization. The project itself will, in most cases, be carried out in the subsequent Summer II and Fall II semesters. There are three major steps involved in the first phase:

1) Form a group of 3-4 students — generate some ideas. Keep in mind that the groups will have to work together through the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters.

2) Make contact with a community agency and write-up a one-page Community Service Project Plan:

Due on Monday, April 10, 2006.

3) Write-up a Community Service Project Preliminary Proposal:

Due on Friday, May 5^th, 2006 (before you leave at the end of the semester). To be

handed-in during your Comprehensive Practical.

Projects

In order to provide a consistent contribution to our neighboring community and to develop projects of considerable substance, the Program in Physical Therapy has a number of ongoing Community Service Projects. Students may choose one of these Community Service Projects and further develop that project. These projects are:

Fitness is Fun: Exercise and Education in Health and
Wellness for school-aged children

Bodies for Business: Ergonomic evaluation and education of
employees at a worksite

      Summer Camp for Individuals with Huntington’s Disease:
        Serving as camp staff for one week and designing physical activities
      for individuals with Huntington’s Disease

Groups of students may also develop a new project that reflects the personal interests of the group. In this case, students must speak with Dr. Majsak to discuss the project and receive approval. When a new project is developed, it must meet the following criteria:

1) It must involve collaboration with an outside community agency or organization.

2) It must be a group project, i.e., students cannot simply act as individual volunteers in an existing program.

3) It must be feasible and must be accomplished before the end of the Fall II semester.

4) It must involve the application of knowledge and skills that are related to physical therapy t a community need.

5) It must not involve physical therapy assessment or treatment of individual patients

Some examples of possible projects:

· educational - give in-service to agency staff, design/write a booklet or pamphlet, set up a booth at a health fair, develop an educational video

· wellness - provide health promotion or prevention instruction to a target population

· technological - design, modify, or test a piece of equipment

· environmental assessment - assist an organization in assessing access and suitability of different facilities (e.g., assessing suitability of recreational facilities for disabled children)

· research - assist an agency with library or laboratory research and consultative services so that they may plan, initiate, or propose a specific program

Funding and resources

Funding and resources are not available from the physical therapy program at NYMC. Therefore, students must plan a project that will not require additional funding beyond what they themselves can provide, unless the agency with which the group is collaborating specifically commits to providing such funding.

Responsible faculty member

Once preliminary proposals have been submitted, a faculty member will be assigned to each group to serve as a faculty advisor. Group members and the faculty advisor will formally meet at least once a month over the course of the project.

Description of Community Service Project Plan (due Monday, April 10, 2006)

The purpose of the project plan is to provide a brief description of the proposed project so that the group can receive early feedback about whether the project will be appropriate. The project plan should be one to two pages in length and include the following information:

· Program title

· Names of group members

· Community agency that tutorial group will collaborate with

· Brief description of proposed program

· Name, title, address, and phone number of individual who will act as contact at the community agency

· Brief summary of contacts with community agency

Description of the Community Service Project Preliminary Proposal (due on Tuesday, May 5, 2006) To be handed-in at the time of the Comprehensive Exam

The preliminary proposal contains a detailed description of the program to be developed. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the proposed project is well planned and based on a sound foundation. Following evaluation of the proposal, specific suggestions for improvements to the program may be suggested. If the proposal is found to be inadequate in detail or structure, the group may be asked to rewrite it.

The proposal need not be lengthy. There is no minimum length. In fact, the proposal should be written in a concise manner. Nevertheless, all required information should be present and there should be sufficient supporting narrative to justify the proposed project. The following components should be included:

· Title page with program title and names of group members

· Table of contents

· Summary/abstract of proposed program (not to exceed 300 words)

· Introduction identifying target population, need for program, and anticipated benefit (one to three pages). Include references to supporting literature, if appropriate.

· Description of proposed program (two to five pages).

· Plan for measuring outcomes (one to two pages). This is a crucial component of the project. Please be as specific as possible.

· Brief description of the community agency and individuals with whom the student groups will collaborate. Include name, title, address, and phone number of individual who will act as contact at the community agency

· Timetable for implementation

· Personnel involved along with a brief description of their roles

· Anticipated budget (i.e., expenses and how those will be paid for)

· References