Field experiences help WVU’s newest alumni connect their passions to career goals
For students enrolled in the West Virginia University School of Public Health, the final semester of their undergraduate program includes an applied field placement experience where they can put their classroom lessons to work. This semester’s students contributed to and learned from 11 community partners, and one soon-to-be graduate even received a full-time job offer.
Community partners are carefully selected by Audra Hamrick, director of public health practice and service learning and undergraduate studies, and the students themselves to provide a rewarding and meaningful experience related to the students’ future goals. Partnerships this semester included the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mountain People’s Co-op, United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties and the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities, among others.
“I want to become a physician assistant and specialize in pediatrics,” said Victoria Falconnet, who worked with WVU Obstetrics and Gynecology. “So, I really enjoyed working with Elly Myers and learning more about the biological aspects and prevention methods of the ACE Program.”
The 17 students who are preparing to graduate this month were able to complete many of their assignments online, and shared their insights with classmates, faculty, staff and community partnership preceptors during Zoom presentations to cap off the semester. Throughout the semester, students had the opportunity to participate in research, address food insecurity, facilitate COVID-19 testing, connect patients with community resources, and many more projects. This real-world experience gives students a competitive edge, whether they choose to enter the job market or continue their education at the graduate-level.
For Anna McVey, her experience at Bartlett Housing Solutions led to a full-time position as a housing stabilization case manager. The long-time community partner provided McVey with the opportunity to address immediate and ongoing needs of the organization. She assisted with client rounds, voting registration, housing placement, emergency preparedness and other administrative responsibilities.
“I designed and distributed low-literacy accessible flyers for COVID safety,” she said of working with the organization during the current pandemic. “I helped teach residents how to wash a mask, dispose of them, put them on correctly, wash their hands and help their children understand why we need to wear a mask.”
While many students assisted with COVID-19-related tasks within their field placement organization, students placed with the Monongalia County Health Department (MCHD) and CDC focused on more widespread response to the pandemic within the Morgantown community.
As WVU students, faculty and staff returned to campus for the fall semester, albeit a much-reduced return to campus, collaboration between the MCHD and the University became even more important to keep the community safe and healthy. Students Alexis Drake and Monica Echavarria got to serve on the frontlines of that response as part of their field experience. Working with MCHD Special Projects/Grants Coordinator Brittany Irick, who graduated with a Master of Public Health in 2018, the students assisted with weekly COVID-19 testing events and conducted contact tracing when a positive case was identified.
Echavarria said her previous public health curriculum allowed her to hit the ground running when her capstone experience with MCHD started at the beginning of the semester. Armed with knowledge from her courses in epidemiology and outbreak investigation, she was able to immediately understand the terminology and procedures being employed by her new colleagues.
She also said that working with the MCHD team during COVID-19 testing events was a very memorable experience, and it reinforced her goal of becoming an outbreak investigator in the future.
“I knew I wanted to do something epidemiology-related when I took the Outbreak Investigation course,” she said. “With the COVID work I did, I saw a little bit what it would be like to become an outbreak investigator and I liked it.”
Aidan Davis, Jamya Minor and Anita Village were among eight Public Health students focused on a different mitigation strategy – mask wearing. The group had the opportunity to work on a CDC mask observation study within the WVU community by visiting locations across campus to estimate the percentage of people wearing masks correctly, a statistic that can assist University leaders with public health decision-making.
“I really took pride in having an opportunity to work with the CDC and Dr. Zullig with the mission to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” Village said. “I feel like this experience really helped me connect with my role as a public health student by solidifying my understanding of public health as a career field. I also feel like this particular field experience and living through this pandemic has taught me more about the importance of public health.”
Village also said she found herself observing mask usage even when she wasn’t on an official assignment.
“This experience has encouraged me to become more of an active member in public health work in regards to identifying public health issues and finding ways to fix them.”
Photo at Top: Ronald McDonald House Charities hosed undergraduate student Taylor Shultz for her field placement experience. Shultz participated in many organizational activities, including donor support. Pictured at top, RMHC CEO Eleanor Reigel, Guest Relations staff member Ory Cercone-Vangilder, Shultz and House Manager Kara Kimble receive a gift from Hoagy’s Heroes. (Provided by Taylor Shultz)
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CONTACT: Nikky Luna, Director of Marketing and Communications
WVU School of Public Health
304.293.1699