APPs (Advanced Practice Providers) provide both clinical care and clinical education to APP learners across numerous health systems in Colorado. APP training pathways have significantly fewer clinical hours than physician training models, therefore creation of high-quality clinical education programs for APP learners is all the more important to ensure ongoing high quality medical care for our patients.
Creation of a Public Health curriculum would aim to optimize the educational value of this limited clinical time through structured, competency-oriented modules that encompass the scope of the Public Health Institute at Denver Health.
The intent of this curriculum is to ensure a comprehensive experience for the learner by ensuring development of foundational skills that can translate into competency and confidence in early career. Additionally, the goal is to attract students passionate about public health and help support their career development, encouraging them to enter the field post-graduation.
In collaboration several clinical experts at the Public Health Institute at Denver Health, we have developed a curriculum including clinical modules, competencies and resources. Additionally, we developed pre/post surveys for learners and Public Health Practitioners to evaluate the impact of this intervention.
The following will be measured via before and after intervention:
·APP learner experience
·APP learner confidence
·Public Health Practitioner willingness to host learners
·Public Health Practitioner perception of learner preparedness
This is an area of novel development. Research suggests longitudinal programs for medical students are successful in creating providers that outperform counterparts in clinical skills and knowledge. This is an unstudied area for APP learners. Yet, we hypothesize that a framework for longitudinal curriculum for APPs could also yield the similar outcomes while attracting and retaining highly competent and confident Early Career APPs in Public Health.
Our hope is that this curriculum will provide a transferrable framework for any institution to use.
