WVRHEP Evaluation Committee Meeting Minutes
September 20, 1999
Members Present:        Kelly Blake, Jodie Jackson, Helen Baker, Annie McIntosh

Others present: Jennifer Allen, Karen Fahey, Elizabeth Richmond, Ken 
Shannon,  Alicia Tyler

Members absent: Ron Fleshman, Randy Lowe, David Martin, Trisha Petitte, Jo 
Ann Raines, Penny Rose, Steve Thomas, Tom Whittier

Kelly Blake and Jodie Jackson gave a presentation of select questions off 
of the Student Evaluation of Rural Field Experiences.  Helen Baker 
suggested sending a copy to the Faculty Development committee and the 
Evaluation Committee.  The question was posed as to whether graphs of 
student responses could be posted over TRACKER once the student evaluation 
form is completed electronically.  Kelly and Jodie will bring this up 
during their presentation today for the Advisory Committee.

Individual consortia reports of the Student Evaluation of Rural Field 
Experiences will be given to site coordinators by Trisha Petitte at their 
meeting tomorrow.

Ken Shannon, MD, WVU Family Medicine, and Jodie Jackson gave an overview of 
a WVRHEP evaluation/research proposal that Dr. Shannon has been working on 
with assistance from Jodie and Don Pathman, MD (University of North 
Carolina), as part of a grant submission for  the Robert Wood Johnson 
Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Program that provides limited support 
for generalist physicians interested in pursuing a particular area of 
research.  The proposed research is a pilot project to establish a 
longitudinal database of medical student attitudes and career intent 
information collected through annual surveys and the correlation of this 
data with actual practice decisions such as practice location and specialty 
choice.  This research will include an evaluation of the impact of RHEP on 
student attitudes and practice intent.  The goal is to eventually apply 
this tracking system to all disciplines involved in health sciences.  A 
research Advisory Committee will be established with representation from 
all three medical schools to develop the survey tools and methodology.  Don 
Pathman, MD, MPH and Dr. Weston will be Dr. Shannon’s mentors on this 
project.  Dr. Weston was instrumental in conducting similar research on 
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula rural education program during his time as Dean 
and Assistant Dean of the Michigan State Medical School.  Dr. Shannon will 
not find out until Spring whether he will be a recipient of this RWJF grant 
or not.

Evaluation Committee will ask Trisha Petitte to provide the committee with 
open-ended responses to the community service question on the Student 
Evaluation of Rural Field Experience by the November meeting, if possible.

Karen Fayhe, CNM, FNP, was asked to be the Field Faculty representative on 
the Evaluation Committee.  She is the nursing Field Faculty at Winding 
Roads Consortium.  Welcome Karen!

The following goals were set for the Evaluation Committee, September, 
1999  September, 2000:
·       Advocate for more timely results on the Student Evaluation of Rural 
Field experience
·       Work closely with Hilda heady and April vestal in the coming year 
to explore ways to make evaluation of WVRHEP more of a priority (with only 
25% of Trisha’s time dedicated to RHEP, it is difficult to get survey 
results in a timely manner)
·       Helen Baker suggested that the committee draft a tool to survey 
faculty and preceptor impressions of RHEP.  The on-site directors of 
clinical education could be helpful in gathering this data.
·       Committee supports the development of an evaluation that measures 
the long term effects of RHEP (tracking graduates, keeping data on their 
placements).  Such an evaluation could be that which was presented by Dr. 
Shannon.
·       Initiate data collection (including anecdotal data) that describes 
the community impact of RHEP for the Higher Education Report Card (the 
power of a story is priceless)
·       Distribute information on the evaluation of the state’s financial 
incentive programs that will be funded via the Rural Health Access Program 
(the RWJF grant directed through the Center for Rural Health 
Development).  Jodie Jackson will be working with Don Pathman, MD, MPH, 
(University of North Carolina) and the Rural Health Access Program’s 
Recruitment and Retention Committee to conduct this evaluation.