For the first time, the exercise brings together students from all USF Health colleges.

Living in the moment is a way of life that countless people strive to achieve, but for those living in poverty, the concept takes on a much more somber meaning. If someone is struggling to make ends meet, their daily life is so stressful that they’re probably not thinking about or planning for the long term.

Every day, health care professionals come face-to-face with patients in poverty and in order to teach students empathy and an understanding of these barriers, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Office of Student Diversity and Enrichment hosts poverty simulations. This training is in its sixth year, but this year is the first with an interprofessional mix of athletic training, medical, nursing, public health, pharmacy, physician assistant, and physical therapy students, as well as residents, and fellows. At the end of 10 sessions provided in the 2018-19 academic year, about 840 people will have participated.

The local American Legion Post donated its community hall to accommodate the large groups of students and volunteers.

Based on a simulation activity from Central Missouri Community Action, participants have the opportunity to experience life in the shoes of a fixed, limited-income family.

Shirley B. Smith, MA, Director of the Office of Student Diversity and Enrichment for MCOM, begins the activity by instructing the group to take it seriously because, “these are real people who have lived this experience.”

The students were assigned to fill various family roles, with identities ranging from seniors living alone to single-parents and blended families. Each family struggles with barriers such as unemployment, disabilities, and transportation. Over the course of a simulated four weeks, the families’ priorities are shelter, electricity, food, and keeping the family together.

The assigned identities range from single seniors living alone to single parents and blended families. Some are recently unemployed or struggling with disabilities.

A variety of resources are offered to the families by volunteers stationed around the community center room.  The volunteers simulate the roles of bankers, grocery store clerks, hospital staff, social service workers, and a pawn broker. Over the course of the activity, participants may run out of time or money, or even just forget to pay rent or buy groceries. One family was visited by law enforcement after she forgot to pick up her child from day care. Another family pawned their furniture for extra money. At least three families were evicted.

“This experience gives insight to health care workers, because sometimes we don’t know what is going on in a patient’s life and how it’s affecting their treatment or compliance,” said Brolivia Harvey, an adjunct faculty member in the College of Nursing.

Volunteers staff the resource tables that represent businesses such as banks, groceries, social service agencies, pawn brokers, and quick cash operators.

Participants without private transportation have to budget for public transportation passes needed to get to each resource station.

Just like in real life, when the rent is not paid, families are evicted.

At the end of the interprofessional education simulation, the participants sit down for a debrief. More than half of the students raised their hands when asked if they felt stressed or anxious during the experience. One student shared that she felt a “sense of insecurity” the entire experience and how you don’t realize the mental health strain it’s having on you or your children.

“I think the poverty simulation made everyone more aware of the struggles that people go through. We saw how much had to be accomplished in one day and that someone living in poverty may have to choose to pay rent instead of buy their medication,” said Rumour Piepenbrink, a first-year public health student.

“It was an eye-opening and humbling experience. I felt an array of emotions from frustration to gratitude for what I have,” said Ashley Reed, a fourth-year nursing student.

First-year public health student Rumour Piepenbrink visits the payday advance quick cash station.

Fourth-year nursing student Ashley Reed speaks with the volunteers at the simulated hospital.

During debrief, the group discussed how they can apply the lessons they learned from the poverty simulation to their health care careers:

• Don’t judge your patients.
• You have to consider the situation your patient is coming from to best help them.
• Be aware of local resources to refer a patient in need.
• Besides providing a resource to help a patient right now, empower them for the future.
• Teach patients the importance of long-term health.
• Physician burnout can happen when you do not deal with not being able to help everyone.

“Don’t ever get to the point where you’re numb to the poverty or problems of the people in the community,” said Priscilla Perez, a case manager for Positive Spin, a community-based social service agency that assists children and families to live healthy, and long-time poverty simulation community partner. “Helping a patient is more than just taking care of the reason for their visit,” she added.

Students are not the only ones participating in the poverty simulation. A session in April will include USF Health leadership and faculty.

“At USF Health, we are committed to preparing health professionals who recognize the importance of interprofessional team-based care, not only in the clinical setting but also in working together to address the social determinants of health in the communities we serve. Engaging our faculty in this intensive training will help us be better teachers and encourage us to recognize and emphasize the important role that every member of the team plays, including our patients and our community partners,” said Donna Petersen, ScD, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the College of Public Health.

USF Health students, residents, and fellows debrief after the poverty simulation.

-Multimedia story by Torie Doll.

This week, faculty, staff and students are hosting, attending, and celebrating events that highlight and honor today’s vets. Take a look below at some of the highlights of events from across the week. Further down are some of the many ways USF Health is working to make life better for veterans.

Coverage of some of the veteran-related events from USF Health

More than 70 units with 1,600 volunteers participated in the Veterans Day Parade at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. Here are a couple of photos, but click here and click here to visit the VA’s Flickr photo books.

Haley VA Parade

Haley VA Parade

The USF College of Public Health’s OSHA Training Institute is offering courses in Wesley Chapel this week. The course on Nov. 10 is titled “Noise Hazards in the Construction Industry” and will be from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The course on Nov. 12 is titled “Managing Excavation Hazards” and will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Click here to learn more.

OTI Course Instructor Kevin Yarborough teaches a group attending the Evacuation and Emergency Planning class that was offered at the USF OSHA Training Institute Education Center in Wesley Chapel, FL on Nov. 9. Courses continue today and Thursday.

DogFest was a great success. The DogFest Walk ‘n Roll Tampa surpassed its goal and raised more than $36,400 toward an effort to provide a canine companion to a local veteran. The USF Health event was Sunday, Nov. 8, and several dozen supporters attended, including several four-legged ones. Volunteers for the day included USF Health’s Medicine in the Armed Forces student group.

USF Health turned out to help raise awareness and more than $36,400 in  funds for canine companions.

Points of pride on USF Health’s commitment to veterans

Programs across USF Health are focused on veterans. Here is a sampling of some of them:

School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences:

• USF prosthetic research with wounded warriors may also benefit civilian amputees
• USF awarded $1.3 million to expand research to prevent back injury in firefighters
• USF School of Physical Therapy Awarded $1.59 M From DOD For Musculoskeletal Research

Josh Sparling is silhouetted after completing the obstacle course at the Walter C. Heinrich Practical Training Site. Sparling and 13 other wounded warriors participated in a USF School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences research study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. The project evaluated how well different types of prosthetic feet work for the rigorous and agile maneuvers soldiers must perform on the battlefield – from running and jumping to dodging, crawling and climbing. The study will ultimately benefit civilian amputees with physically challenging occupations, such as firefighters and police officers, or anyone with physically-demanding recreational pursuits, said USF associate professor Dr. Jason Highsmith, principal investigator for the double-blind randomized trial, who works out of James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital as deputy chief of the Research & Surveillance Division, Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence.

College of Public Health:

• Last July, USF’s undergraduate public health was ranked No. 1 in College Factual’s “Top10 Veteran-Friendly Public Health Schools” list
• USF provides undergraduates with a 360 degree exposure in public health

College of Nursing:

• College Factual names USF number one in top 10 ranking of veteran-friendly nursing schools
• Offers V-CARE, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing sequence created for service members and veterans who have completed training as Army or Air Force medics and as Navy corpsman,
• USF College of Nursing leads research on a novel technique to alleviate veterans’ symptoms of combat-related and military sexual trauma

The USF College of Nursing leads research on a novel technique to alleviate veterans’ symptoms of combat-related and military sexual trauma. That treatment – called Accelerated Resolution Therapy, or ART – has been under study at the USF College of Nursing for more than four years, showing remarkable results among initial participants, namely military veterans and civilians with symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

USF Health-wide:

• Many of USF’s Tillman Scholars are USF Health students, including one of the most recent awardees from the College of Pharmacy John Pasciak.
• Stetson University and USF Health form first-of-a-kind partnership to help veterans connection
• The Military Times just ranked USF the #2 Best For Vets university in the country, a ranking likely boosted by the College of Public Health’s #1 ranking and the College of Nursing’s #1 ranking as Veteran Friendly that came in June. In addition to those stellar rankings, support for our veterans can be seen across USF Health, from research endeavors to education to advocacy. Click here for the full article in the magazine.

CARMICHAEL, Calif. (Aug. 1, 2012) – Prior to advancing its human spaceflight sector, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) addressed the heightened risk of musculoskeletal injuries threatening astronauts, and discussed its concerns during a Spinal Deconditioning Injury Risk Summit.  Among experts invited to the Summit was the University of South Florida’s John Mayer, DC., PhD, a supporter of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), who believes chiropractic care represents advancement in prevention and protection protocols.

“Deconditioning — the breakdown of the spine’s musculoskeletal support system – is a very common and serious condition occurring in astronauts,” says Dr. Mayer, Lincoln College Endowed Chair in Biomechanical and Chiropractic Research and associate professor of the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences at USF Health.  “It is crucial that NASA continues to aggregate data and develop strategies to mitigate this problem.  More times than not,  this initial breakdown leads to other debilitating health concerns, such as disc herniation – an ailment space crews are five times more at risk for than average individuals.”

John Mayer, DC, PhD, is a member of NASA’s multidisciplinary panel that will recommend measures to counteract spinal deconditioning experienced by space crews.

During the Summit, a multidisciplinary panel of experts addressed various issues including identifying impacting factors — such as microgravity exposure, flight weight and landing forces — and defining potential protection and prevention options.  Going forward, NASA expects to develop and test new measures to counteract spinal deterioration in space crews, based on the panel’s recommendations.  

“Possible options to enhance safety measures for astronauts can include everything from developing new equipment to altering spaceflight exercise procedures to new healthcare practices,” says Dr. Mayer. “The use of an effective specialized musculoskeletal care, like chiropractic, may ultimately prove to be effective in reducing the incidence of injuries for individuals exposed to a variety of physical demands, such as astronauts.”

 Gerry Clum, D.C., a spokesperson for the F4CP, notes the inclusion of chiropractic in these discussions as a positive signal from NASA.  “With extensive experience in the chiropractic approach to addressing spinal conditions, Dr. Mayer will be an important asset to the NASA panel.” 

About Foundation for Chiropractic Progress  

A not-for-profit organization, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress aims to inform and educate the general public about the many benefits associated with chiropractic care.   To learn more about the Foundation, please visit us on the web at www.yes2chiropractic.org.

Media contact:
Lauren Kennedy
201-641-1911 (14) or lkennedy@cpronline.com