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Objectives

The educational objectives in our program are based on the APA Educational Guidelines for pediatric residency. We used the 1996 version of the guidelines in designing our curricular experiences, and have been using the newly revised 2004 version since it became available on-line. The educational objectives we focus on include child health advocacy, community-oriented practice, and cultural sensitivity. Objectives that have been particularly influential for our curriculum include: 

  • Identify and communicate with key legislators, staff members and agency administrators, as well as other advocates for child health, regarding specific child health issues Discuss barriers to health and health care for children in one’s own community and some strategies to overcome these
  • Demonstrate a working knowledge of non-medical systems that influence and direct care for children
  • Describe how to assess the perceptions of one’s local community about critical health priorities for children and to use that information to target issues for child advocacy efforts
  • Speak effectively about child health matters to families and community groups and participate in local child advocacy activities.
 

 



Alice Kuo and Tricia Barreto, CHAT faculty, pose by a research poster describing CHAT as a new model for pediatric residency training at an APA conference.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
   
 
  CHAT residents lobby for healthcare change in Sacramento
   

Methods

1. Place-based Community Development

The CHAT faculty feels strongly about investing both faculty and resident resources in a defined community near UCLA. We identified the community of Mar Vista, an underserved community only 7 miles from the UCLA campus. Mar Vista is a federally designated Medically Underserved and Health Professional Shortage area. Over 30% of children are uninsured.

The CHAT faculty have developed relationships with the staff at the Westside Children’s Center (a private, non-profit social services agency, which maintains a continuum of multidisciplinary services for families overwhelmed by poverty, addiction, isolation, and cultural separation), two WIC sites, two public elementary schools and one middle school, one of the largest public housing developments in the county, and a family resource center. We believe that by being committed to Mar Vista, we are able to provide a valuable service and continuity to the community on a faculty level, while the residents are able to perform their projects in an area which is familiar with the CHAT program and are able to learn from our community partners.

2. Service-Learning

Service-learning is a model that combines a curriculum with service to the community. The main principles are as follows:

  • Students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service that is conducted in and meets the needs of communities
  • Curriculum is coordinated with an elementary school, secondary school, institution of higher education, or community service program and the community
  • Service-learning helps foster civic responsibility
  • Service-learning is integrated into and enhances the academic curriculum of the students, or the education components of the community service program in which the participants are enrolled
  • Structured time is provided for students or participants to reflect on the service experience

Using the service-learning model, the residents learn from these community partners and participate in planned activities at these settings. In exchange, the residents and faculty provide health consultation, parent education, and limited health service delivery. Because the faculty are also actively working in this community, they serve as role models for the residents and are able to nurture the community relationships while residents are on busy clinical rotations.

 
Updated: 09/07/2006
 

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