Health Science graduates, Erika Holliday (2015) and Bonnie Kempker (2016), attended the Missouri Public Health Association Conference in September. Erika is now the Health Educator for Columbia-Boone County Health Department in Missouri and Bonnie works as an Adolescent Health Educator for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
On Tuesday, September 26th, Alicia Wodika traveled with four students (left to right: Manasa Chintakunta, Mitch Schroeder, Maha Mohamed, and Chaney Cooper) to the Missouri Public Health Association Conference in Columbia, Missouri.
When I graduated my goal was to find a role where I could engage in community collaboration, promote healthy living practices, and influence health-related policies. My journey in public health began as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) near Kansas City, Missouri
where I developed and implemented a variety of community-based health promotion programs. While working full-time as a community health educator, I pursued my Master of Public Health (MPH) degree online from University of Missouri-Columbia. I also obtained a Global Public Health Certificate, which allowed me to complete a month-long MPH internship abroad in Ghana, Africa. In August 2015, I was selected to participate in the Greater Kansas City Healthcare Foundation’s yearlong Healthy Communities Leadership Academy with other professionals to improve community collaboration, civic leadership, and system/policy change. I am thrilled to have transitioned into the role of project manager at the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health in 2016. Working alongside a team of medical and public health professionals, I am contributing to tobacco cessation research. In spring 2017, I advanced to a master level health education specialist (MCHES). I am proud that my work is directly influencing positive change in public health so I can continue improving health outcomes in my community. My accomplishments are a result of the hands-on experience I received and the confidence I gained from HES staff and faculty, as a student and alumna.
-Amanda Grodie (’11), Health Science
Truman State University was named as one of the Top Ten Schools with the most students qualifying for the CHES examination for 2015 and 2016 by the National Commission of Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC). In both 2015 and 2016 Truman State University was ranked number six. The other schools on the lists are as follows:
2015
2016
Health Science students from the Department of Health and Exercise Science are required to take the national CHES exam (Certified Health Education Specialist) as their senior exit exam. Nationally, the pass rate for the CHES exam is 70%. The April 2017 pass rate for the 51 graduating seniors taking the exam was 96%.
The CHES exam is competency-based test covering the seven major areas of responsibility for a Health Education Specialist:
NCHEC is the only nationally and internationally accredited organization certifying health education specialists. Additionally, NCHEC promotes professional development among CHES-certified individuals, and works to strengthens professional preparation and practice among university preparation programs.
The Health Science curriculum is built around the CHES Areas of Responsibilities and is designed to build the competencies and sub-competencies of the majors to be better prepared to enter the health workforce and/or attend graduate programs in health-related fields. The five full-time Health Science faculty are all CHES or MCHES (Master CHES) certified.
Nancy Daley-Moore taught a JBA course entitled Consumer Health: The Media’s Role in Your Health. During the course, students learned about different topics in health, such as skin care, dental health, alternative medicine, and nutrition. Students also learned about advertising tactics and created their own advertisements about a particular health topic. Thank you to HES majors Hannah Denkler & Autumn Shepherd for being the preceptors for the course.
“After I graduated in 2006, I accepted a job offer at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center in Madison. In 2011, I opted to go back to school part-time while working at the Cancer Center and received a Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate. In 2012 I moved to Gwangju, South Korea, where I taught conversational English to elementary, middle, and high school students. After my return to the US, I opted to return to graduate school and in May of 2017, I graduated with my Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Des Moines University. I am currently employed in an outpatient clinic which specializes in one-on-one manual therapy.
At Truman I learned to communicate more effectively. I have found that writing and presenting yourself well can open many doors, allowing you to convey important information in resumes and cover letters, scholarship applications, and interviews. In addition, I met wonderful faculty at Truman and in HES specifically who offered advice, encouragement, and a listening ear when I needed it, even 10 years later! I am forever thankful for the caliber of faculty and fellow students I met at Truman.
My education at Truman was really broad; I took Italian classes and studied abroad in Ro
me. I completed research with HES faculty. I combined intense science courses with classes in religion, English, linguistics, and music.
For the lucky individuals who know exactly what they want to do with their lives – that is wonderful. However, for the rest of us, be calm in the knowledge that it’s totally okay. Really. I can look back on the years since I left Truman and see how the path that lead me to today – while certainly not linear – made me more determined to pursue my DPT and has given me life experience that makes it easier to connect with my patients.”
—Mary Beth Wims (’06), Health Science; Minors in Biology, Psychology, and Italian Studies
In Spring 2018 ES instructors Jana Arabas and Liz Jorn will be offering ES 206: First Aid and CPR Instructor. The course is a 1 credit class that will meet Tuesdays from 12:00-1:20. Upon successful completion of the course students will be certified to teach CPR/First Aid classes through the American Heart Association. This course would be ideal for students looking to obtain Graduate Assistantships, nursing students, or anyone else desiring to teach CPR classes. The class is currently closed and requires pre-approval for registration. Please contact Jana (jlarabas@truman.edu) with questions.
“After graduating from Truman, I pursued a Master of Health Administration (MHA) from The University of Missouri—Columbia, or Mizzou. I received my MHA and a graduate certificate in Health Informatics in May 2016. During my last year of grad school, I applied for competitive administrative fellowships and obtained one with HSHS Eastern Wisconsin Division in Green Bay, Wis. I have been serving in that role for a year and look forward to what comes next.
HES courses are great preparation for any health-related path you choose post-graduation. The population health perspective has equipped me with a well-rounded lens for making decisions about the communities and patients we serve. The balance between research, program implementation, and epidemiology served me well in my graduate classes and now in my role doing pro
jects and rolling out initiatives. As we move towards a less hospital-centric/treatment only approach to health, the comprehensive education that HES and Truman provided will be a huge asset in my future roles.
Be open minded and willing to absorb everything you learn at Truman. I have honestly used almost everything I learned in HES, and it has helped me immensely. But also have fun! The professors are amazing and developing relationships is essential.”
—Maria Benitez (’14), Health Science, Minor in Business Administration
“After graduating from Truman, I enrolled in graduate school at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC), where I earned my Master in Public Health (MPH) degree in May 2015. During my time at SIUC, I had a great position at the campus Wellness Center doing college sexual health educatio
n. After I left SIUC, I realized that I still had a passion for nursing. I am now a little over a year away from my BSN, RN!
HES is full of awesome professors who wanted to see me do well! I was challenged by the faculty but also encouraged by them as well. It’s because of them that I succeeded as a McNair scholar and was able to go to graduate school. They worked with me and helped me graduate.
Be sure to talk to your professors! They are here to help you. They know far more than what they teach you in class. Many of them may have supplemental information about internship or job opportunities, and they have connections! All you have to do is ask.”
–Ashley Shields (’13), Health Science
HLTH 362 students cleaned the course’s street on High Street on Sept. 14, 2017. The City of Kirksville asked for all streets to be cleaned before September 16 for Truman’s Family Weekend and the Red Barn Festival.
