Page 37 - Healthcare News July-August 2020

Jennifer Hixon gathers with a group of health sciences and physician assistant students — before the ar- rival of COVID-19 and social distancing, of course.
JULY/AUGUST 2020 WWW.HEALTHCARENEWS.COM 37
HEALTHCARE EDUCATION
Face to Face
College Health Programs Tackle Challenge of Hands-on Learning
BWy JOSEPH BEDNAR
eeks before CO-
VID-19 shut down Massachusetts, Jenni- fer Hixon could read the signs.
“In February, I sat with my faculty, and we did not like the look of what was com- ing, so we planned a transition to virtual learning so we would be able to pivot to virtual education,” said Hixon, director of the graduate program in Health Sciences and chair of undergraduate Health Scienc- es at Westfield State University. “That went pretty well. For the classroom portion,
we did a lot of Zoom teaching so students really got a chance to see us, talk to us in person, every single day.”
It was tougher for students already step- ping into clinical rotations at hospitals and smaller practices; they found those experi- ences shutting down in March, though many have since returned, under strict safety protocols and using personal protec- tive equipment (PPP).
That experience is a reminder that, while much college education can be delivered online — and will be this fall at many area institutions — health education requires
at least some element of hands-on train- ing. And that’s the challenge for the area schools that deliver such programs.
“We will be back on campus in Sep- tember; we changed the configuration of all our classrooms and made sure we’ve provided all the sanitization equipment we need,” Hixon said, “so we can teach in an
environment that’s as safe as possible. “The faculty in my department — and
all health sciences — know how to take care of themselves,” she continued. “These are healthcare providers, so they can re- ally create an environment that is as safe as possible — understanding nothing is completely safe, of course, but as safe as possible for students.”
Hands-on learning and lab work will begin in September, with guidelines for PPE use and social distancing; for instance, a lab with 30 students will now take place over three sessions with about 10 students each.
“We are looking forward to it, and so are the students,” Hixon told HCN. “We have worked really hard to create a safe work environment.”