Skills, knowledge, and abilities of graduates from accredited environmental health science and protection undergraduate programs. (Features).Introduction Assessment, outcomes, and accountability The traceability of actions performed on a system to a specific system entity (user, process, device). For example, the use of unique user identification and authentication supports accountability; the use of shared user IDs and passwords destroys accountability. are words that may strike terror TERROR. That state of the mind which arises from the event or phenomenon that may serve as a prognostic of some catastrophe affright from apparent danger. 2. (or at least annoyance) into the hearts of professionals. Most professions have, however, accepted the importance of measuring outcomes, and environmental health cannot be an exception. The practice of environmental health is extremely diverse, and it requires a large variety of knowledge and skills. Determining the best course of study to prepare students to enter the profession is controversial and difficult. For the past 25 years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council Accreditation Council may refer to:
EHAC National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council EHAC European HEMS and Air Ambulance Committee ) has attempted to determine the most appropriate course of study and has implemented guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. for accrediting undergraduate programs in environmental health. The guidelines need to be evaluated regularly to ensure that they result in the desired educational outcomes. This paper reports the results of an evaluation of the EHAC accreditation accreditation, n a process of formal recognition of a school or institution attesting to the required ability and performance in an area of education, training, or practice. guidelines as measured through a survey administered to program graduates and to th e graduates' supervisors. The authors also report on the graduates' perceptions about the value of their education and on the level of their satisfaction in working as environmental health professionals. The findings should be useful to several communities. Individual academic programs can use the data to self-evaluate the quality of their graduates relative to the entire environmental health community. The broader environmental health community can use the results to help determine the utility of the accreditation process and evaluate the preparation of program graduates for contributing to the profession. Moreover, reviewing the results will provide the environmental health community an opportunity to interact Interact can refer to:
Fall of Interact While the Game Boy device was first released, Interact acquired the rights to sell Datel's Action Replay with the academic programs striving to prepare tomorrow's workforce. Methods Academic environmental health programs seeking EHAC accreditation must follow the process and meet the requirements identified in Guidelines for the Accreditation of Environmental Health Science & Protection Baccalaureate Programs (EHAC, 2002). The Guidelines specify that accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. programs should promote critical thinking and development of professional skills and technical knowledge, and provide the tools for lifelong learning Lifelong learning is the concept that "It's never too soon or too late for learning", a philosophy that has taken root in a whole host of different organisations. Lifelong learning is attitudinal; that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. . Key competencies are specified spec·i·fy tr.v. spec·i·fied, spec·i·fy·ing, spec·i·fies 1. To state explicitly or in detail: specified the amount needed. 2. To include in a specification. 3. to reflect technical competence technical competence, n the ability of the practitioner, during the treatment phase of dental care and with respect to those procedures combining psychomotor and cognitive skills, consistently to provide services at a professionally acceptable level. and professional values. These competencies were identified and articulated ar·tic·u·la·ted adj. Characterized by or having articulations; jointed. by environmental health practitioners and academics on the basis of a variety of resources dating back to seminal work A seminal work is a work from which other works grow. The term usually refers to an intellectual or artistic achievement whose ideas and techniques have been adopted or responded to in later works by other people, either in the same field or in the general culture. sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation Kellogg Foundation, philanthropic institution established (1930) at Battle Creek, Mich., by food manufacturer W. K. Kellogg (1860–1951). Kellogg eventually gave the institution a total of $47 million, and by 1990 its endowment had increased to more than $3. (Hopper A tray, or chute, that accepts input to a mechanical device, such as a disk duplicator or printer. In the days of punch cards, millions of cards were numerically or alphabetically organized by placing them into the hopper of a card sorter, taking them out of all the stackers and putting , 1951) and NEHA NEHA National Environmental Health Association NEHA National Executive Housekeepers Association NEHA Northern Estates Homeowners Association (Indianapolis, Indiana) (1962, 1964). Specific objectives include the provision of course work in the basic sciences, communication, mathematics, and general education. An outcome-assessments survey was developed in 1997 to measure performance of graduates with respect to the EHAC Guidelines. From 1997 to 2001, graduates of 10 accredited environmental health programs were mailed surveys and were asked to complete them and to have their supervisors complete them. By asking the graduates and their supervisors to respond independently to the same survey questions, the authors were able to determine the level of convergent validity Convergent validity is the degree to which an operation is similar to (converges on) other operations that it theoretically should also be similar to. For instance, to show the convergent validity of a test of mathematics skills, the scores on the test can be correlated with scores Surveys were anonymous Nameless. See anonymous post and anonymous Web surfing. , using a coding system Noun 1. coding system - a system of signals used to represent letters or numbers in transmitting messages code - a coding system used for transmitting messages requiring brevity or secrecy that linked graduates' responses with their supervisors' responses without revealing individual identities. Consequently, the results for graduates with supervisory su·per·vi·sor n. 1. One who supervises. 2. One who is in charge of a particular department or unit, as in a governmental agency or school system. 3. One who is an elected administrative officer in certain U.S. ratings had two data sources. The surveys contained a behaviorally anchored rating scale based on 16 key competency COMPETENCY, evidence. The legal fitness or ability of a witness to be heard on the trial of a cause. This term is also applied to written or other evidence which may be legally given on such trial, as, depositions, letters, account-books, and the like. 2. areas specified in the Guidelines. Behaviorally anchored rating scales In psychology research on behaviorism, Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) are scales used to report performance. BARS are normally presented vertically with scale points ranging from five to nine. were used because they have the advantage of describing each level of competence Competence Sufficient ability or fitness for one's needs. The necessary abilities to be qualified to achieve a certain goal or complete a project. to each respondent In Equity practice, the party who answers a bill or other proceeding in equity. The party against whom an appeal or motion, an application for a court order, is instituted and who is required to answer in order to protect his or her interests. and have been found to be highly reliable. For example, competency in technical skills was assessed according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the rating criteria criteria (krītēr´ē  ),n. given in Table 1. Each competency area had specific behavioral behavioral pertaining to behavior. behavioral disorders see vice. behavioral seizure see psychomotor seizure. anchors that described the full range of possible professional behaviors on a scale of 1 to 5. A rating of 5 indicated the highest level of competence, a rating of 3 described a level of competency that was expected and minimally required to do most jobs, and a rating of 1 indicated ineffectiveness in·ef·fec·tive adj. 1. Not producing an intended effect; ineffectual: an ineffective plea. 2. Inadequate; incompetent: an ineffective teacher. in the work setting and professional behaviors. The relevance of specific course work to the preparation of environmental health professionals was explored with a second metric. The Guidelines identify required and optional topic areas. Students must take course work in epidemiology epidemiology, field of medicine concerned with the study of epidemics, outbreaks of disease that affect large numbers of people. Epidemiologists, using sophisticated statistical analyses, field investigations, and complex laboratory techniques, investigate the cause , statistical methods, toxicology toxicology, study of poisons, or toxins, from the standpoint of detection, isolation, identification, and determination of their effects on the human body. Toxicology may be considered the branch of pharmacology devoted to the study of the poisonous effects of drugs. , environmental economics, environmental health management, environmental law and public policy development, risk assessment, and risk communication. A list of 23 additional topic specialty A contract under seal. A specialty is a written document that has been sealed and delivered and is given as security for the payment of a specifically indicated debt. areas is given, with accredited programs requiring concentrated study in at least four of these areas and general study in most of the areas. Respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. were asked to identify on a yes-or-no basis, whether the job required knowledge of each topic area and if the program graduate had adequate preparation in that topic area. Graduates also were asked to respond to a series of questions reflecting their views on whether their undergraduate experience had met their expectations. Those expectations included professional preparation and the professional opportunities and experiences that characterize their jobs. Results and Discussion Response rates--return of the surveys--were somewhat variable, with a mean for the graduate survey of 28 percent in the six programs reporting the number of mailed surveys (standard deviation In statistics, the average amount a number varies from the average number in a series of numbers. (statistics) standard deviation - (SD) A measure of the range of values in a set of numbers. [SDJ SDJ Starter Deck Joey (Yu-Gi-Oh cards) SDJ Sendai, Japan - Sendai (Airport Code) SDJ Sporting Dog Journal SDJ South Davis Junior (High School, Utah) = 15, maximum = 54 percent, minimum 13 percent). The competency portion of the survey had a high level of internal validity Internal validity is a form of experimental validity [1]. An experiment is said to possess internal validity if it properly demonstrates a causal relation between two variables [2] [3]. (Crombach's alpha = .87), suggesting that the survey items were related in a meaningful way to each other. Caution is required in interpreting in·ter·pret v. in·ter·pret·ed, in·ter·pret·ing, in·ter·prets v.tr. 1. To explain the meaning of: interpreted the ambassador's remarks. See Synonyms at explain. the results because of a potential bias. That is, an excellent employee may be more likely to ask a supervisor Same as operating system. for ratings, or the supervisor of a skilled employee may be more likely to complete a survey Results indicate that program graduates' and their supervisors' ratings of performance with respect to key competencies were very similar. For the 94 graduate-supervisor pairs, only the item assessing level of professional involvement received significantly different ratings from the graduates and their supervisors. The supervisors scored the graduates significantly higher in this category than the graduates' self-ratings. For all other competency measures, the ratings of the two groups were not significantly different, indicating a satisfactory level of convergent validity between the supervisors' ratings of graduates and the graduates' ratings of themselves. Graduates' self-ratings and supervisors' ratings of graduates are given in aggregate in Table 2. An average rating of around 3 indicates minimal competence. Ratings between 4 and 5 indicate a superior level of competence. Sample ratings ranged from an average of 2.92 to 4.40. Competencies were at levels above a minimum standard of 3.0, with the exception of the graduate self-rating of Professional Involvement (2.92). In addition to analyzing the aggregated data, individual program data were evaluated. The average ratings for the competencies did not differ significantly among the schools, with the exceptions of ratings for Computer Skills and General Attitude. As competency levels for both these categories were above minimal standards, statistically significant differences may not matter in any practical sense. The results indicated that most graduates were achieving scores significantly higher than minimal competence in all core areas. The highest ratings were in the areas of professional ethics professional ethics, n the rules governing the conduct, transactions, and relationships within a profession and among its publics. professional ethics liability, n 1. , general attitude, oral communication skills, and ability to identify reliable and relevant information. The lowest ratings were in the areas of professional development and professional involvement. Graduates and their supervisors were asked if the graduates' jobs required knowledge, and if the graduates were adequately prepared, in the 31 specialty areas identified in the Guidelines. Aggregate results are given in Table 3. The respondents consistently indicated the percentage of academic programs providing coverage in specialty areas was higher than the percentage of jobs requiring knowledge in those specialty areas, the only exceptions being in the areas of environmental law and policy, and risk communication. The specialty-knowledge areas that were most commonly needed for respondents' jobs were in environmental law and public policy, risk assessment, risk communication, and hazardous materials. The knowledge areas that were reported as requirements for the fewest jobs were global environmental health, recreational environmental health, housing, hydrogeology hy·dro·ge·ol·o·gy n. The branch of geology that deals with the occurrence, distribution, and effect of ground water. hy , and food protection. The respondents indicated widespread coverage of most of the specialties identified in the EHAC Guidelines. In particular, over 80 percent of the respondents reported academic preparation in the areas of epidemiology, air quality control, hazardous materials, industrial hygiene hygiene, science of preserving and promoting the health of both the individual and the community. It has many aspects: personal hygiene (proper living habits, cleanliness of body and clothing, healthful diet, a balanced regimen of rest and exercise); domestic hygiene , wastewater Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and , and water quality The most notable exceptions to this general coverage were in the areas of environmental economics, environmental health planning, housing, hydrogeology, and recreational environmental health, each with fewer than 50 percent of the respondents reporting academic preparation. The aggregate data were useful in comparing overall academic preparation and job requirements, and support a general conclusion that the curricular requirements reflect the job demands of graduates. These data do not, however, directly quantify Quantify - A performance analysis tool from Pure Software. the number of individuals who face job demands for which they have little academic preparation. For example, the data in Table 3 would not describe how many of the 31 percent of the individuals reporting that their jobs required knowledge of housing were in the 42 percent of respondents reporting academic preparation in this specialty area. To address this issue of individual rather than composite composite, alternate common name for Asteraceae or Compositae, the aster family. composite - aggregate preparation, responses from each individual were placed within a two-by- two matrix of academic program preparation versus job knowledge required (Figure 1). The four cells were labeled "relevance," "overpreparation," "deficiency A shortage or insufficiency. The amount by which federal Income Tax due exceeds the amount reported by the taxpayer on his or her return; also, the amount owed by a taxpayer who has not filed a return. ," and "efficiency" A good situation for a program curriculum would be for its graduates to report their professional situation as fitting into the "relevance" cell, reflecting professional specialty-knowledge requirements corresponding to academic professional preparation. "Over-preparation" would occur when knowledge was not required for a job but was part of professional preparation. "Deficiency" would occur when job knowledge was required but was not part of professional preparation. "Efficiency" would define the situation when preparation in a specialty area was not required for the graduates' jobs and was not part of academic preparation. In general, most responses fell primarily into the "relevance" category (Table 4). For example, 71 percent of the graduates indicated that they had educational preparation in the area of risk assessment and were in jobs that required knowledge in this specialty About 13 percent indicated that they were over-prepared and that knowledge of risk assessment was not required in their jobs. About 5 percent indicated that they were not prepared in the area of risk assessment and that their jobs did not require risk assessment knowledge, thus falling into the efficiency category The final 11 percent of the graduates indicated that their jobs required knowledge of risk assessment and that they were not prepared in this specialty. It is interesting to note that many traditional areas of environmental health (e.g., food, vectors Vectors Something used to transport genetic information to a cell. Mentioned in: Gene Therapy , and housing) are among those specialties listed as least often being part of job responsibilities. The areas that graduates currently indicate as part of their job responsibilities probably most clearly need coverage as part of their educational background. Nevertheless, areas in which a lower percentage of respondents have professional responsibilities still may be vital areas for coverage in an academic program. Educational objectives can consist of more than meeting current job responsibilities--having broad knowledge of environmental health and information about emerging areas of environmental health may provide the basis for meeting future needs and for providing a holistic approach holistic approach A term used in alternative health for a philosophical approach to health care, in which the entire Pt is evaluated and treated. See Alternative medicine, Holistic medicine. to environmental health management. The most immediately troublesome cell in the two-by-two matrix may be "deficiency" in which job knowledge was required but the graduate was not prepared. The largest deficiencies occurred in the specialty areas of environmental law, injury prevention, soils, hydrogeology, and risk communication (Table 5). Under-preparation was apparent even in specialty areas where a relatively low percentage of graduates had job responsibilities (e.g., soils and hydrogeology). It is apparent that knowledge of specialty areas is critical to individuals holding particular kinds of jobs. These data may be particularly useful when viewed at the program level. For example, 25 percent of graduates from one program had jobs in which knowledge of injury prevention was required but for which they were not prepared. Clearly, adding more course work in injury prevention to this program would be very helpful to its graduates' professional success (assuming that the graduates of the program continue to follow the same pattern of job acqu isition). The specialty areas for which the largest number of responders had professional education but no professional responsibilities (the over-preparation category) were largely in traditional areas of environmental health (Table 5). Knowledge of these areas is still needed by some, but the results clearly reflect graduates turning to job placements other than those traditionally held. Global environmental health was also indicated as a specialty area in which academic coverage substantially exceeded job responsibilities. Nevertheless, according to a rationale rationale (rash´  nal´),n the fundamental reasons used as the basis for a decision or action. similar to that used with respect to the traditional specialty areas, global environmental health may be a desirable curricular component because of its appropriateness to a small percentage of graduates. Alternatively, it may reflect a new specialty area in which environmental health practitioners may become involved. Graduates also were asked to report on how well their undergraduate environmental health program met their expectations. Responses to a large extent reflect satisfaction with their career choice. Results are given in Table 6. The graduates appear well satisfied with their preparation and the opportunities they have within the profession of environmental health. Clearly, the lowest scores dealt with issues relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc salary and other features related to career advancement A gift of money or property made by a person while alive to his or her child or other legally recognized heir, the value of which the person intends to be deducted from the child's or heir's eventual share in the estate after the giver's death. . Conclusions and Recommendations The Guidelines for the Accreditation of Environmental Health Science & Protection Baccalaureate Program identify 16 core competency A core competency is something that a firm can do well and that meets the following three conditions specified by Hamel and Prahalad (1990):
Employers hiring graduates of EHAC-accredited environmental health programs will obtain personnel with the skills needed to meet today's needs and to grow to meet tomorrow's challenges. Of course, individual performance will vary. As a group, however, graduates will exhibit the core competencies needed by environmental health professionals. This study provided direct information regarding the study of appropriate specialty areas to the profession. Environmental health is a very diverse discipline, and practitioners disagree considerably about appropriate areas of study. For example, much of the environmental workforce in the past held responsibilities in local health departments. Much of the professional activity focused on the area of food protection, yet only 33 percent of the respondents identified knowledge of food protection as a current job requirement. It is important to recognize that this circumstance Circumstance or circumstances can refer to:
infection or other damaging agent transmitted via the animal's (or human's) food chain. foodborne adjective Referring to that which is carried by food, either by pathogens: viruses–HAV, bacteria–eg salmonellosis, disease is growing, and with it an understanding that improper
verb aim for, desire, pursue, hope for, long for, crave, seek out, wish for, dream about, yearn for, hunger for, hanker after, be eager for, set your heart on, set your sights on, be ambitious for work in other areas of environmental health. The data from this study provided direct evidence of specialty areas in which academic coverage needs to be expanded. Additional coverage may be needed in specialty areas in which large percentages of graduates were found to have professional responsibilities without corresponding academic preparation. Those areas included areas relatively new to the profession, such as risk communication. Moreover, the data support the need to have academic programs vary to meet the particular needs of their graduates. For example, many graduates do not have responsibilities requiring information about soil. Yet, among the students who need to know about soil, many have deficient de·fi·cient adj. 1. Lacking an essential quality or element. 2. Inadequate in amount or degree; insufficient. deficient a state of being in deficit. academic preparation. Customizing academic preparation to meet specific interests is a important component of environmental health preparation. This study revealed that the EHAC-accrediting process related well to the academic and professional preparation of graduates of accredited programs. Graduates were accomplishing the outcomes intended by EHAC. Moreover, the study demonstrated that EHAC-accredited programs were graduating professionals well equipped to meet the needs of the profession. This information should be useful to the operation and review of the current accreditation process as well as to potential employers of graduates. The survey and study results also can be used by individual accredited programs to benchmark A performance test of hardware and/or software. There are various programs that very accurately test the raw power of a single machine, the interaction in a single client/server system (one server/multiple clients) and the transactions per second in a transaction processing system. the competencies of their graduates against those of graduates of other programs. Non-accredited programs also may wish to use these results to benchmark their curricula. Environmental health professionals who have graduated from accredited programs appear to be well satisfied with their educational preparation and well satisfied with their work. The level of satisfaction with salary and opportunities for professional advancement is not as high, however. Many areas throughout the nation are currently experiencing shortages of well-prepared environmental health professionals. The somewhat pervasive pervasive, adj indicates that a condition permeates the entire development of the individual. view of a limited career progression progression, in mathematics, sequence of quantities, called terms, in which the relationship between consecutive terms is the same. An arithmetic progression is a sequence in which each term is derived from the preceding one by adding a given number, d, ladder ladder walking under one can bring only misfortune. [Western Folklore: Leach, 598] See : Luck, Bad ladder stood upon by Joseph to remove nails holding Christ to the cross. and opportunities for salary growth for environmental health professionals may be a primary factor in this shortage.
FIGURE 1
Matrix of Knowledge Required for the Job Versus Graduate Preparation for
Specialty Areas
Relevance: Job required Deficiency: Job
knowledge and graduate required knowledge
received preparation in and graduate did NOT
specialty. receive preparation.
Over-Preparation: Job Efficiency: Job did
did NOT require NOT require knowledge
knowledge, but graduate and graduate did NOT
received preparation. receive preparation.
TABLE 1
Example of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale: Competency in Technical
Skills
Score Behavior
1 Unfamiliar with equipment routinely used.
Unable to apply technical concepts and
skills.
2 Needs training in the use of some technical
equipment for routine work.
3 Uses skills and knowledge of equipment
for routine work.
4 Uses equipment in routine work and special
projects requiring advanced knowledge.
5 Has skills using equipment in a wide range
of technical applications. Assists others
and develops advanced applications.
TABLE 2
Competency Ratings
Graduate
N Mean SD
Technical skills 225 3.81 0.85
Communication skills (written) 232 4.13 0.69
Communication skills (oral) 233 4.31 0.69
Computer skills 234 3.93 0.73
Identify reliable and 230 4.31 0.74
relevant information
Drawing appropriate conclusions 232 4.11 0.55
Choosing & defending an 234 4.15 0.73
appropriate course of action
Knowledge of environmental health 234 3.94 0.76
Lifelong learning 228 4.13 0.72
General attitude 227 4.31 0.79
Environmental mentality 229 3.86 0.85
Work habits 229 4.16 0.73
Professional ethics 228 4.40 0.63
Social skills 228 4.18 0.70
Professional involvement 229 2.92 1.05
Professional development 227 3.28 0.88
Supervisor
N Mean SD
Technical skills 90 3.84 0.79
Communication skills (written) 95 3.98 0.74
Communication skills (oral) 95 4.15 0.68
Computer skills 93 3.99 0.58
Identify reliable and 93 4.28 0.73
relevant information
Drawing appropriate conclusions 94 4.05 0.52
Choosing & defending an 93 4.13 0.80
appropriate course of action
Knowledge of environmental health 92 4.01 0.73
Lifelong learning 95 4.08 0.72
General attitude 95 4.22 0.89
Environmental mentality 93 3.90 0.86
Work habits 95 3.98 0.81
Professional ethics 94 4.36 0.73
Social skills 94 3.99 0.70
Professional involvement 87 3.23 0.90
Professional development 92 3.52 0.82
SD = standard deviation.
TABLE 3
Job Knowledge Requirements and Adequacy of Graduates' Preparation for
Jobs: Responses from Student Sample and National Sample
Job Program
Requirement (%) Preparation
G * S ** G
Environmental law & policy 81 75 77
Risk assessment 78 81 84
Risk communication 76 81 75
Hazardous materials 75 82 90
Occupational health & safety 68 67 87
Toxicology 68 63 82
Air quality control 67 64 89
Statistical methods 64 63 78
Environmental chemistry 64 67 74
Injury prevention 63 68 67
Water quality 64 68 97
Industrial hygiene 60 65 93
Wastewater 60 63 94
Environmental health management 57 61 77
Epidemiology 55 49 95
Solid waste management 48 63 89
Environmental microbiology 48 52 83
Soils 47 53 62
Water supply 47 47 82
Environmental epidemiology 46 47 83
Noise control 45 46 79
Environmental health planning 43 41 56
Institutional health 43 39 77
Vector control 42 37 77
Environmental economics 34 45 37
Radiation health 37 27 67
Food protection 36 30 88
Hydrogeology 32 40 45
Housing 31 27 42
Recreational environmental health 31 28 55
Global environmental health 27 21 71
Program Difference
Preparation
S G S
Environmental law & policy 80 -4 5
Risk assessment 88 6 7
Risk communication 84 -1 3
Hazardous materials 90 15 8
Occupational health & safety 86 19 19
Toxicology 91 14 28
Air quality control 86 22 22
Statistical methods 89 34 26
Environmental chemistry 86 10 19
Injury prevention 86 4 18
Water quality 86 33 18
Industrial hygiene 88 33 23
Wastewater 86 34 23
Environmental health management 91 20 30
Epidemiology 86 40 37
Solid waste management 83 41 30
Environmental microbiology 83 35 31
Soils 72 15 19
Water supply 90 35 33
Environmental epidemiology 79 37 32
Noise control 80 34 34
Environmental health planning 79 13 38
Institutional health 79 34 40
Vector control 82 35 45
Environmental economics 79 3 34
Radiation health 61 30 34
Food protection 82 52 52
Hydrogeology 65 13 25
Housing 79 11 52
Recreational environmental health 79 24 51
Global environmental health 78 44 57
* G = graduate report.
** S = supervisor report.
TABLE 4
Individual Job Requirements and Program Preparation (number of
responses)
Specialty Area * Total Job Knowledge
Required
(Relevance + Deficiency)
G + S ++
Risk assessment 176 63
Hazardous materials 166 68
Environmental law & policy 178 54
Risk communication 167 60
Occupational health & safety 153 53
Toxicology 153 49
Air quality control 148 49
Statistical methods 143 50
Environmental chemistry 140 50
Injury prevention 140 50
Water quality 136 52
Industrial hygiene 133 53
Wastewater 129 50
Environmental health management 126 47
Epidemiology 122 35
Solid waste management 103 50
Environmental microbiology 106 38
Soils 97 42
Noise control 99 38
Environmental epidemiology 101 31
Institutional health 95 26
Environmental health planning 92 30
Water supply 88 33
Vector control 89 28
Environmental economics 74 32
Hydrogeology 70 33
Radiation health 81 19
Food protection 79 21
Recreational environmental health 68 21
Housin 67 18
Global environmental health 58 16
Specialty Area * Academic Preparation Versus
job Knowledge Requirements
Relevance
G S
Risk assessment 153 56
Hazardous materials 149 62
Environmental law & policy 137 44
Risk communication 135 52
Occupational health & safety 134 47
Toxicology 131 47
Air quality control 129 43
Statistical methods 114 45
Environmental chemistry 120 46
Injury prevention 98 45
Water quality 132 46
Industrial hygiene 128 48
Wastewater 121 44
Environmental health management 114 45
Epidemiology 117 32
Solid waste management 93 44
Environmental microbiology 100 34
Soils 61 32
Noise control 81 32
Environmental epidemiology 95 29
Institutional health 84 23
Environmental health planning 59 27
Water supply 82 30
Vector control 81 25
Environmental economics 40 30
Hydrogeology 40 23
Radiation health 62 14
Food protection 71 18
Recreational environmental health 61 20
Housin 46 18
Global environmental health 50 15
Specialty Area * Academic Preparation Versus job
Knowledge Requirements
Over-Preparation Deficiency
G S G
Risk assessment 28 2 23
Hazardous materials 42 2 17
Environmental law & policy 27 3 41
Risk communication 23 1 32
Occupational health & safety 48 4 19
Toxicology 39 4 22
Air quality control 57 6 19
Statistical methods 45 5 29
Environmental chemistry 33 5 20
Injury prevention 37 2 42
Water quality 60 3 4
Industrial hygiene 62 1 5
Wastewater 66 3 8
Environmental health management 42 2 12
Epidemiology 78 6 5
Solid waste management 79 3 10
Environmental microbiology 64 4 6
Soils 57 2 36
Noise control 75 5 18
Environmental epidemiology 66 4 6
Institutional health 66 6 11
Environmental health planning 49 3 33
Water supply 54 3 6
Vector control 64 5 8
Environmental economics 32 4 34
Hydrogeology 49 5 30
Radiation health 67 5 19
Food protection 102 10 8
Recreational environmental health 44 6 7
Housin 36 5 21
Global environmental health 85 6 8
Specialty Area * Academic Preparation Versus
job Knowledge Requirements
Deficiency Efficiency
S G S
Risk assessment 7 10 1
Hazardous materials 6 5 1
Environmental law & policy 10 8 2
Risk communication 8 20 2
Occupational health & safety 6 9 2
Toxicology 2 16 3
Air quality control 6 5 2
Statistical methods 5 20 1
Environmental chemistry 4 34 4
Injury prevention 5 28 3
Water quality 6 3 2
Industrial hygiene 5 10 2
Wastewater 6 5 2
Environmental health management 2 34 3
Epidemiology 3 5 3
Solid waste management 6 12 3
Environmental microbiology 4 28 4
Soils 10 35 2
Noise control 6 24 3
Environmental epidemiology 2 28 7
Institutional health 3 36 5
Environmental health planning 3 55 5
Water supply 3 24 1
Vector control 3 36 4
Environmental economics 2 90 7
Hydrogeology 10 79 5
Radiation health 5 42 6
Food protection 3 17 3
Recreational environmental health 1 78 5
Housin 0 88 6
Global environmental health 1 49 5
* Specialty areas are ordered sequentially based on responders'
indication of job requirement. This order differs slightly from the
order shown in Table 1, reflecting responsse percentages, because not
all responders responded to questions in all categories.
+ G = graduate report.
++ S = supervisor report.
TABLE 5
Numbers of Individuals Identifying "Deficiency" and "Over-Preparation"
in Given Specialty Areas
Deficiency Number of Responses
G * S **
Environmental law & policy 41 10
Injury prevention 42 5
Soils 36 10
Risk communication 32 8
Hydrogeology 30 10
Environmental economics 34 2
Environmental health planning 33 3
Statistical methods 29 5
Risk assessment 23 7
Occupational health & safety 19 6
Air quality control 19 6
Toxicology 22 2
Environmental chemistry 20 4
Radiation health 19 5
Noise control 18 6
Hazardous materials 17 6
Housing 21 0
Solid waste management 10 6
Environmental health management 12 2
Institutional health 11 3
Wastewater 8 6
Vector control 8 3
Food protection 8 3
Environmental microbiology 6 4
Industrial hygiene 5 5
Water quality 4 6
Global environmental health 8 1
Water supply 6 3
Recreational environmental health 7 1
Environmental epidemiology 6 2
Epidemiology 5 3
Deficiency Over-Preparation
Environmental law & policy Food protection
Injury prevention Global environmental health
Soils Epidemiology
Risk communication Solid waste management
Hydrogeology Noise control
Environmental economics Radiation health
Environmental health planning Institutional health
Statistical methods Environmental epidemiology
Risk assessment Wastewater
Occupational health & safety Vector control
Air quality control Environmental microbiology
Toxicology Industrial hygiene
Environmental chemistry Water quality
Radiation health Air quality control
Noise control Soils
Hazardous materials Water supply
Housing Hydrogeology
Solid waste management Environmental health planning
Environmental health management Occupational health & safety
Institutional health Statistical methods
Wastewater Recreational environmental health
Vector control Hazardous materials
Food protection Environmental health management
Environmental microbiology Toxicology
Industrial hygiene Housing
Water quality Injury prevention
Global environmental health Environmental chemistry
Water supply Environmental economics
Recreational environmental health Risk assessment
Environmental epidemiology Environmental law & policy
Epidemiology Risk communication
Deficiency Number of Responses
G S
Environmental law & policy 102 10
Injury prevention 85 6
Soils 78 6
Risk communication 79 3
Hydrogeology 75 5
Environmental economics 67 5
Environmental health planning 66 6
Statistical methods 66 4
Risk assessment 66 3
Occupational health & safety 64 5
Air quality control 64 4
Toxicology 62 1
Environmental chemistry 60 3
Radiation health 57 6
Noise control 57 2
Hazardous materials 54 3
Housing 49 5
Solid waste management 49 3
Environmental health management 48 4
Institutional health 45 5
Wastewater 44 6
Vector control 42 2
Food protection 42 2
Environmental microbiology 39 4
Industrial hygiene 36 5
Water quality 37 2
Global environmental health 33 5
Water supply 32 4
Recreational environmental health 28 2
Environmental epidemiology 27 3
Epidemiology 23 1
* G = graduate report.
** S = supervisor report.
Table 6
Graduates' Report on Whether Educational Programs Have Met Personal
Expectations *
Rating Factor N Mean SD
My job provides interesting experiences 208 3.80 0.89
My level of competence 220 3.72 0.81
My job provides enjoyable experiences 206 3.71 0.89
My preparation for first job 214 3.56 0.81
My job provides rewarding experiences 205 3.56 0.87
My preparation for current job 202 3.50 0.88
My job mobility 213 3.46 0.96
My environmental health degree 223 3.43 0.76
My job satisfaction 215 3.40 1.07
My technical preparation 218 3.38 0.87
My sense of belonging to a profession 215 3.35 0.93
My graduate school preparation 151 3.33 0.85
My employment opportunity 216 3.30 1.06
As a career choice, environmental health 217 3.24 0.92
My professional opportunity in environmental health 203 3.21 0.89
My promotional opportunity 210 3.14 0.96
My salary 217 2.92 0.92
SD = standard deviation.
* I = "falls far below my expectations," and 5 = "far exceeds my
expectations."
Acknowledgements: We greatly appreciate the outstanding contributions made by Wayne Adams F. Wayne Adams (born 1943) is a former Canadian provincial politician who was the first Black Canadian member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and cabinet minister. A Liberal, he was elected in the 1993 general election in the riding of Preston. , Steve Arnold
REFERENCES Hopper, S.H. (Ed.). (1951). Working conference on undergraduate education undergraduate education Medtalk In the US, a 4+ yr college or university education leading to a baccalaureate degree, the minimum education level required for medical school admission; undergraduate medical education refers to the 4 yrs of medical school. Cf CME. in sanitary sciences sanitary science, principles of health preservation, embracing hygiene, on an individual level, and public health, on a communal level. Those who specialize in sanitary science are sanitary engineers. , April 17-20. Battle Creek Battle Creek, city (1990 pop. 53,540), Calhoun co., S Mich., at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers; settled 1831, inc. as a city 1859. It is an agricultural trade center known for its cereals. , MI: W.K. Kellogg Foundation. National Environmental Health Association. (1962). Report of the disaster capabilities of sanitarians with special reference to the academic preparation of this professional group May 2-4. Denver Denver, city (1990 pop. 467,610), alt. 5,280 ft (1,609 m), state capital, coextensive with Denver co., N central Colo., on a plateau at the foot of the Front Range of the Rocky Mts., along the South Platte River where Cherry Creek meets it; inc. 1861. , CO: Author. National Environmental Health Association. (1964). Report of conference on undergraduate education for sanitarians January January: see month. 19-21. St. Paul St. Paul as a missionary he fearlessly confronts the “perils of waters, of robbers, in the city, in the wilderness.” [N.T.: II Cor. 11:26] See : Bravery , MN: Author. National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council. (2002). Guidelines for the accreditation of environmental health science & protection baccalaureate programs. http://www.ehacoffice.org/UGCriteria.htm (30 Sept. 2002). Corresponding Author: Gary Gary, city (1990 pop. 116,646), Lake co., NW Ind., a port of entry on Lake Michigan; inc. 1909. Gary was founded by the U.S. Steel Corporation, which purchased the land in 1905 and landscaped it for a city. S. Silverman Silverman is the surname of:
1 City (1990 pop. 40,641), seat of Warren co., S Ky., on the Barren River; inc. 1812. It is a shipping and marketing center for an area producing tobacco, corn, livestock, and dairy items. , OH 43403. E-mail: <silverma@bgnet.bgsu.edu>. |
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