UNITE – Learning and studying together in public health facilities in the Göttingen health region
The public health service (ÖGD) forms the third pillar of the German health care system alongside outpatient and inpatient care. Its guiding principles and core tasks are health protection, health promotion, coordinating tasks at the population level and quality assurance. International frameworks of the World Health Organisation (WHO) call for an overarching, multi-sectoral strategy for the promotion and training of professionals in public health services. The BMG's "Pact for Public Health Services" of 29.09.2020 reinforces its central importance not only for coping with the current Corona pandemic, but for health at the population level in general. This pact is intended to counteract the staff shortage and the limited technical infrastructure in the ÖGD in the coming years.
In Göttingen, there is a great potential of study programmes in the health sector: At the Göttingen location, approx. 360 students per year of human medicine are trained at the UMG and approx. 120 students per year of HAWK at the Göttingen Health Campus in the study programmes social work in health care, nursing, therapeutic sciences and midwifery. Student involvement and later professional activities, however, are mostly focused on only two pillars - the outpatient and inpatient sectors of the health care system. The integration of the ÖGD into student education at UMG and HAWK can lead to an improved health system and thus optimal health care in the long term.
Project goals
The project aims to increase the attractiveness of the professional field of public health care and to increase its chances of attracting young professionals. Students of human medicine and health care professions in Göttingen should get to know this multi-professional field of the public health service and other public health care institutions (e.g. counseling centers) in the health region of Göttingen and actively participate as representatives of their future profession. In the project, the framework conditions of the individual institutions are analyzed as possible training locations for students of health care professions and health-related professions, and learning formats (e.g. job shadowing, internships, clinical rotations, student health talks, practical year, practical semester) are identified and piloted with students. An information catalog will be published and developed web-based to address students and support faculties and participating institutions in curriculum planning and design. Further objectives of the project are the networking of science and practice, e.g. through research questions and scientific theses in the ÖGD.
Methodology
The first step is to analyze and identify potentially suitable public health care facilities in the Göttingen health region. Subsequently, information events are held to present the project and for networking. In the course of visits to exchange information with the facilities on site, the framework conditions in the individual facilities for the various professions are recorded, associated learning fields for students in the respective facility are jointly determined and suitable learning formats are identified. Special attention is paid to teaching and experiencing interdisciplinary and multiprofessional cooperation. Students of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the study programs at the Health Campus are to be involved in this process in a participatory manner and take part in initial pilots. An information catalog will be created and offered web-based to support students, faculties and the participating institutions in planning and designing teaching.
Funding
funded by the Nds. State Office for Social, Youth and Family Affairs
Participating institutions
Consortium management:
The participating partners/institutions are equally involved in the research cooperation with regard to the project.
Consortium partners:
Dr. Iris Demmer, MME, Institute of General Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG)
Prof. Dr. Juliane Leinweber, Dean of Health Studies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen (HAWK), Faculty of Engineering and Health, Health Campus Göttingen
Contact persons at HAWK:
Prof. Dr. Juliane Leinweber
Dr. Melanie Misamer
Sina Biermann
Contact persons at UMG:
Dr. med. Iris Demmer
Lia Espe
Publications
Contact
contact information
- telephone: +49 551 3968194
- fax: +49 551 3929530
- e-mail address: dunja.piper(at)med.uni-goettingen.de
contact information
- telephone: +49 551 3963798
- fax: +49 551 399530
- e-mail address: lia.espe(at)med.uni-goettingen.de