Advocacy 102: Incorporating Advocacy Training in Professional Preparation Programs

1. Advocacy 102: Incorporating Advocacy Training in Professional Preparation Programs Susan M. Radius, PhD, CHES Towson University sradius@towson.edu

2. OBJECTIVES • Provide justification for advocacy-related instruction in undergraduate and graduate health education curricula • Review advocacy-related competencies and Identify strategies for integrating advocacy-related instruction in undergraduate and graduate health education curricula • Identify resources for teaching advocacy

3. WHY TEACH ADVOCACY? • Professional responsibility • Ethical responsibility • Personal responsibility • Professional gain

5. Area VII: Communicate and Advocate for Health and Health Education • A: Analyze and respond to current and future needs in health education. • B: Apply a variety of communication methods and techniques. • C: Promote the health education profession individually and collectively. • D: Influence health policy to promote health.

6. ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY • Code of Ethics for the Health Education Profession and identify a specific section which addresses advocacy as a responsibility of health educators.

7. Article I: Responsibility to the Public Section 2: Health Educators encourage actions and social policies that support and facilitate the best balance of benefits over harm for all affected policies Section 4: Health Educators accept the responsibility to act on issues that can adversely affect the health of individuals, families and communities

8. Article II: Responsibility to the Profession • Section 1: Health Educators maintian, improve and expand their professional competence through continued study and educaiton; membership, participation andleaderhsip in profesinal organizaitons; and involvement in issues related to the health of the public.

9. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY • Embodies commitment to and application of health educators’ ethical and professional responsibilities • Prepares future health educators to advocate for themselves, as well as their issues • Provides challenging personal growth opportunities

10. PROFESSIONAL GAIN • Provides personal distinction from colleagues • Enhances student exchange – in and out of the classroom • Grounds classroom exchange in real world • Facilitates direction and content of instruction • Promotion and tenure??

12. WHAT MAKES FOR EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION? • Multifaceted • Multiple opportunities to develop, apply, and receive feedback • Formal and informal learning experiences • Entertaining (Tapper & Galer-Unti, 2001)

13. ADVOCACY REALITIES • Education for advocacy, at both graduate and undergraduate levels, lower than anticipated • Community Health curricula more likely to include advocacy • Graduate curricula more likely to include advocacy

14. CONFRONTING THE DEMON: WHY STUDENTS DON’T ADVOCATE • Students enter with little experience • Students pose little need for convincing about importance • Perceived importance not equivalent to action • Optimistic about instruction • Older students better positioned • Young women merit particular attention

15. INCORPORATING ADVOCACY IN PROFESSIONAL PREPRATION PROGRAMS • Integration into courses: policy, methods, writing courses • Internship/service learning opportunities • Community partnerships • Service organizations • Campus/student driven issues (“seize the moment”)

16. ADVOCACY IN ACTION • Letters to the Editor • Op-Ed • Content analysis/Issue tracking • USA Today • Term paper • Debate • Site visits • Real world in the classroom

17. PSA • Small group analysis (attending community meetings) • Movies (Thank You for Smoking) • Analyze advocacy websites • Speech writer • Elevator speech

18. ADVOCACY IN ACTION • Classroom is not sufficient • Need skill-building • Engage professional organizations • Pre-service practica • Experiential learning (volunteering, internship, community service) merit renewed attention • Enhance faculty development

19. MOTIVATING STUDENT INVOLVEMENT • Publicize the Advocacy Summit • Address student fears: personal and professional • Hold post-Summit Summit • Encourage student write-up of experience • Guide student follow-up with legislators • Incorporate in future instruction • Make advocacy special

20. CONFRONTING THE OTHER DEMON: MOTIVATING FACULTY INVOLVEMENT • Overwhelming majority believe in importance of advocacy (preparation, competence, instruction) • Overwhelming majority lack preparation in advocacy • Overwhelming majority not teaching advocacy at undergraduate or graduate levels • Overwhelming majority not pursuing CE opportunities available to them • Advocacy Summit virtually unknown

21. CONFRONTING THE OTHER DEMON: MOTIVATING FACULTY INVOLVEMENT • Too much work • Curriculum already over-loaded • Lack experience/knowledge • Cannot afford to risk my professional position • No reward

22. NO EXCUSES • Is it work? Yes, but… • No experience? OK, but… • Afraid to jeopardize your professional position? Not to worry, you can… • No reward? What about…

23. Why advocate for advocacy in professional preparation?