On Thursday, UNMC College of Public Health graduate students Jessica Semin and Alena Skrundevskiy will discuss the results of a needs assessment they oversaw designed to pinpoint education needs for health profession students on intimate partner violence (IPV).
The discussion will be held from noon to 12:50 p.m. in the Sorrell Center, Room 2018.
Topics will include:
- IPV as a public health issue;
- the results of the needs assessment, which was compiled in the fall of 2016 to determine students’ needs and preferences for training programs on IPV; and
- the results of an intervention (a four-part, on-campus seminar series) aimed at improving comfort in discussing IPV, attitudes about roles in addressing IPV and knowledge (perceived and actual) regarding IPV.
Results from the needs assessment showed that health professionals and students can play an important role in the prevention, detection and treatment for survivors of IPV, Semin said.
“Based on a sample of more than 400 UNMC students, they felt least knowledgeable on community resources related to IPV and reporting requirements,” she said.
Among the findings of the assessment:
- Most students reported receiving three hours or less of training related to IPV in their curricula and those who reported greater hours of training were more likely to feel they had a role in addressing IPV, comfortable discussing IPV with patients, and greater perceived IPV knowledge.
- Students who took part in the four-hour seminar series held over the course of a semester had statistically significant improvements in their knowledge (actual and perceived), comfort and attitudes regarding IPV.
College of Public Health faculty support for the project was provided by Shireen Rajaram, Ph.D., associate professor of health promotion, social and behavioral health, and Lynette Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor of biostatistics.
Lunch will be provided to the first 25 attendees.