Observational Journal: March 2016

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Module 3: Nutrition 101

Part 1: Worksite.

BeYOUtiful Wellness Center is located in Gilbert, Arizona. It focuses on providing nutrition and physical activity based in evidence in order to promote “health at any size”. For each member, they get a personalized physical activity plan, and nutrition assessment and plan. Each month, a registered dietician gives a nutrition class. There are nine core classes in the program. (BeYOUtiful Wellness Center 2015)

Part 2: Observation.

A nutrition talk, Nutrition 101: Building a Foundation for Health, was given by Dr. Christy L**** (RD) at BeYOUtiful Wellness Center on March 31, 2016 from 1800-1930. This is the first core class in the program. Typically, the talk is given in a typical classroom format with the members sitting in chairs, listening to the talk, and watching PowerPoint slides. This class was conducted differently. They were conducting a pilot class of a “nutrition-cardio” session. RD was talking, the members were cycling through different cardiovascular exercises: stationary bike, rowing machine, and treadmill. Members spent three minutes on each machine before resting for one minute and switching machines. Three members, two being new to the program, participated in the class. After the nutrition-cardio session, the members completed 30 minutes of resistance training.

After the session, the owner, who was also present, and RD asked for the members’ feedback about this type of format. They stated that the time went by quickly and it was easier to complete their physical activity. This feedback was given verbally.

The goal of the BeYOUtiful Wellness Center is to promote health through evidence-based approaches. For the nutrition classes, they aim to empower members with knowledge so that they can make “informed decisions about nutrition”. Rather than giving members only a nutrition plan to follow, they are given the evidence behind the plan. The format of learning, incorporating both physical activity and the science behind nutrition, is an uncommon approach. (BeYOUtiful Wellness Center 2015)

Part 3: Readings.

Fullan, M., Rincon-Gallardo, S., & Hargreaves, A. (2015). Professional capital as accountability. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 23(15).
·         Looks at the policy makers and decision makers and their responsibilities on systems and institutions
·         What are the driving factors
·         Ensuring accountability, infrastructure that is sustainable and effective, transparency

Meyer, J., Francisco, R., & Soysal, Y. (1992). World Expansion of Mass Education. Sociology of Education. Vol. 65, No. 2. p. 128-149.

·         Expansion and standardization of mass education
   o   Cultural influence of western society defines these
   o   National-state building and development is measured through the context of having higher
           numbers of educated
   o   Policy is influenced by this
   o   Questions who is making these decisions and definitions
·         Normative context of mass education

Part 4: Integrations. Use this course journal part to track big ideas, bullet points, and questions. A fine length for this type of entry is just 50 words.

Big ideas: Empowerment, knowledge behind behavior, knowledge necessary for behavior change, mixed formats to learning (physical activity, plans, assessments, and nutrition classes)

How does this pilot version compare to the old version? What prompted this version? How are they tracking responses/feedback?

Supplemental Resources/Education Materials

Nutrition 101: Building a Foundation for Health (L**** 2016)

·         Food as Fuel
   o   Caloric breakdowns
·         Basic 6 and Beyond
   o   6 nutrients (carbs, fats, lipis, viamins, water, minerals)
   o   Food sources of each of these
   o   Importance of each of these
   o   Differentiating between “good” and “bad” foods (ie carbs, fats)
·         5 Rules to Live by (80% of the time)
   o   Carbs – unprocessed and unrefined
   o   Protein – the less legs the better
   o   Fats – choose helpful, not hurtful
   o   Antioxidants – “cover all the colors”
   o   Drink fluids BEFORE you get thirsty
References

BeYOUtiful Wellness Center. 2015. BeYOUtiful Wellness Center. Retrieved on March 31, 2016 from http://www.beyoutifulwellness.com.

Fullan, M., Rincon-Gallardo, S., & Hargreaves, A. (2015). Professional capital as accountability. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 23(15).

L***, Christy. 2016. Nutrition 101: Building a Foundation for Health. PowerPoint Presentation.

Meyer, J., Francisco, R., & Soysal, Y. (1992). World Expansion of Mass Education. Sociology of Education. Vol. 65, No. 2. p. 128-149.

Friday, March 25, 2016

Module 2: American Heart Association

Part 1

In August, I need to recertify my BLS for Healthcare Providers certification. In other words, a more advanced CPR. I have always used The American Heart Association (AHA) for this. My problem of practice (POP) is to look at innovative ways to bridge the socioeconomic gap for students in the classroom in order for them to pursue higher education. Given, my POP needs quite a bit of refinement. My students of focus are public health or health sciences majors where advanced degrees, and things like CPR certifications are standard for every level. The main reason why I selected this site was because it offers CRP and other continuing education classes, both in‑person, online, and hybrid. I have experience taking all three of these modalities.

Part 2

When first going to AHA’s educational website, you have access to a large listing of classes available. The two main types of training available is for CPR, first aid, and emergency cardiovascular care. A useful resource available in addition to the training courses is that there are guidelines put out my AHA, which are considered the gold standard, for CPR. This is immensely beneficial to have this guide available without having to submit payment to refresh your certification. I do not have to be an active student to access this. As being a former student, I do have my course I took available to me for a year after completion. Considering that guidelines have changed quite a bit over the years, this is great to be able to access my course, test materials, and other supplemental materials. There are also textbooks and other manuals available to the public. This site acts as a liaison to connect students and potential students to training centers within their local area. It gives people the ability to have the elearning section, while experiencing the hands-on skills development. (AHA 2016)

American Heart Association (AHA). 2016. Retrieved on March 25, 2016 from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/CPR_UCM_001118_SubHomePage.jsp.

Part 3

Weick, K. E. (1976). Educational organizations as loosely coupled systems. Administrative science quarterly, 1-19.

· Loose systems

o Connections are strong, moving parts are independent

o Less interconnectivity, less communication

o Maintain separate identities

· Tight systems

o Connections are strong, parts move together

o Impacts are felt throughout the organization

o More interconnectivity, more communication

o Strong system identity

· Dysfunctions can be felt in either system

Hargreaves, A., et al. (Eds) (2009). Innovation and diffusion as a theory of change. In Second International Handbook of Educational Change (Introduction). Springer: Netherlands.

· Best schools are those who work with their communities

· Collaborations, public input/response

· Consider different levels for system change (community/local, ground)

Bentley, T. (Ed) (2009). Innovation and diffusion as a theory of change. In Second International Handbook of Educational Change (pp 29-46). Springer: Netherlands.

· Systems with high levels of networking/communication

· Include diverse experiences and input for innovation

Part 4

AHA gives the public and the student the ability to easily find courses that suit their needs. Having both in-person, online, and hybrid options give flexibility. The online (elearning) and hybrids are actually the more inexpensive option, which as a student, allows for less stress for obtaining required professional development trainings.

Supplemental Resources/Education Materials

I selected to review the 2015 Guidelines Highlights. I was immediately impressed that it was available in many different languages, making it accessible to a larger audience. These guidelines contained figures for the new classifications, along with the level of evidence. I appreciated that even though this is targeting a large population, it used meta-analysis and other terms appropriate for health sciences. This read like a summary and was very easy to point out the important changes. There is also a corresponding online course that “helps healthcare providers and systems to bridge the gap” between the new guidelines and renewal courses institutions are already offering.

References

AHA. 2015. Highlights of the 2015 American Heart Association Guidelines Update for CPR and ECC. Retrieved on March 25, 2016 on http://eccguidelines.heart.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2015-AHA-Guidelines-Highlights-English.pdf.