Developing sodium reduction educational activities for 4-H Healthy Living
Specialization: Health Behavior and Health Promotion
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Agency Name: College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University
Agency Location: University or College
There are many opportunities available so when looking for who to reach out to, I followed advice from Dawn Williams who said something along the lines of "reach out to the organization and/or find experiences that first inspired you to pursue a degree in public health".
Major Projects:
I found my practicum by asking a professional in the Autumn semester, I had previously interviewed and shadowed, if there were any opportunities to do my practicum with her or someone within her department. She wasn’t going to be available the following Summer semester because she was going to be on maternity leave but she referred me to her colleague, who had project available for me to work on. By the end of Autumn semester, I had a practicum lined up.
Tasks I was responsible for included: 1) Determining evidence-supported strategies for successfully changing knowledge and behaviors related to sodium consumption, especially among children and adolescents. 2) Reviewing curricula appropriate for teens to use to teach others about sodium reduction and advocate for healthier nutrition environments. 3) Developing 2 teaching activities, including learning objectives, to add to the Ohio 4-H Healthy Living sodium reduction teaching kit. 4) Pilot testing and evaluating the teaching activities. (Assess knowledge gained, amount of interaction, satisfaction, ease of use, ways to improve.) 5) Coordinating the creation of at least 100 sodium education kits that will be distributed throughout the state of Ohio to be used by 4-H participants. The timeline for me to complete the tasks and how I would go about creating the project was very different from my plan or expectations. But I learned to be flexible and how to make good timely decisions when under mild stress. I traveled to Dayton, Ohio to pilot the activities with teens and I enjoyed working with the kids and seeing the program come to fruition. Outside of my tasks, I attended various conferences and events for free (sponsored by my supervisor).
How did you find your Practicum? When did you start exploring Practicum Opportunities?
I was networking with someone (who I found on LinkedIn) who was doing something that interested me. I had previously interviewed them and got a chance to observe them. Later on, I eventually reached out to see if she had any opportunities for me to do my practicum within her department. She wasn't going to be available the time of my practicum, because she was expecting to have her baby by then, so she introduced me to someone within a different department (but within the same organization). I had a meeting with the professional, who ended up being my preceptor, and she offered me an opportunity to work on a project for her within 4-H at OSU Extension.
I started exploring practicum opportunities at the beginning of Autumn Semester and I had everything approve by the beginning of the second semester. It worked out well because the second semester was a lot busier and challenging for me, so it was nice having my practicum taken care of.
