Purpose
- To improve the teaching of adolescent health in U.S. graduate school programs in public health and related fields;
- To develop students' skills in addressing adolescent health; and
- To increase emphasis on adolescent health within maternal and child health, and related disciplines in both health- and non health-related fields.
Background and Overview
The RESOURCE Project is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Policy Center. It has received support and guidance from many organizations including the Association of Schools of Public Health, the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health (ATMCH), and the American Public Health Association to produce a user-friendly educational resource to improve the adolescent health training of students in public health and other related programs.
These materials were developed after an extensive review of existing curricula in accredited U.S. Schools of Public Health, including on-line course descriptions and syllabi posted on the ATMCH web site. Our review of the many schools with comprehensive coverage of adolescent health yielded important information about the focus, approach, and the teaching methods used in different settings. Other clinical adolescent health modules were also reviewed, such as EuTeach and the USC Adolescent Health Curriculum.
The RESOURCE Project adopts a developmental perspective, viewing adolescent health and well-being as closely intertwined with healthy development and environmental influences. Where relevant, we provide information and resources on younger children in the middle childhood years.
RESOURCE Project materials are meant to be adapted by a wide range of audiences. Some teachers may use this as the basis of an entire semester course, while others will tailor most relevant segments to supplement existing curricula. The RESOURCE PROJECT includes guidance on lesson plans, class discussions, and potential assignments. RESOURCE project materials attempt to develop skills, such as using data, building advocacy for youth concerns, and evaluating interventions. Exercises such as role-plays and case studies allow students to better understand the trade-offs, decisions, and obstacles that occur everyday in the lives of those in the adolescent health field.
As part of the curriculum development process, the Maternal and Child Health competencies known by most professionals in the field were included; click here to review them. These competencies are directed specifically to those in the Maternal and Child Health field and are meant to be used as a basic framework of each unit in the RESOURCE Project. The Policy Center Staff also developed a matrix to show which MCH competencies are addressed in each unit.
Navigating the RESOURCE Project
The RESOURCE Project presents materials for a 12-unit course around the following topics: adolescent development, data use, sexuality, mental health and suicide, substance abuse, violence, unintentional injuries, nutrition and physical activity, youth with special health care needs, health care services, and school and community interventions.
A broad range of tools are available in each course unit:
- Recommended learning objectives and class assignments;
- Recommended articles and readings;
- Data sources;
- Case studies;
- Sample PowerPoint presentations; and,
- Links to other useful resources.
Each unit is a separate link on the RESOURCE Project home page. Within each unit's page, the user will see a list of tools available for that unit's topic. The user can then click on each the tool of interest to learn more about how to adapt that unit's topic into coursework across different disciplines (e.g., public health, social work, nursing).
Download File(s)
No Files Available for this Section
Posted: February 2006
