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Summary: This article describes the implementation and outcomes of a social work program in a university pediatric dental clinic serving low-income families. The goal was to decrease barriers to dental care access, decrease appointment failure, and improve interprofessional practice (IPP). Funding was obtained through a foundation to hire a social worker and two interns, and cover program costs. A survey identified barriers families faced to obtain and complete pediatric dental care. Residents, dental students, and faculty make referrals to the social workers who intervene to help families overcome challenges for their children's care. Findings: The program started in January 2019 and outcomes are reported through June 2021. The largest barriers families identified were lack of a pediatric dentist near home accepting public insurance (91%), the dentist who saw their child only did exams and cleanings but not fillings (84%), and need for specialized dental care (77%). Five hundred and eleven families were referred to the social workers, most commonly for resources, information or other referrals (30.5%), dental insurance lapse (14.9%), caregiver guidance on oral health (10.6%), mental health concerns (10.4%), and poor treatment compliance (9.6%). Social workers provided 424 interventions, mostly about information regarding community resources (26.8%), transportation issues (15.9%), and telephone consults (14.2%). Appointment failure rates decreased from 17% to 13.5%, while the cancelation rate decreased from 19.2% to 14.3% from January 2019 to June 2021, respectively. Applications: Social workers helped decrease barriers to pediatric dental care, improve attendance to dental appointments, and enhance IPP for pediatric dental residents, students, and faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The first all-virtual residency application cycle took place in 2021. Virtual programming can reduce cost, time, and travel burden; these may be especially beneficial to applicants with fewer resources and those from underrepresented backgrounds (URM). Little is known about how applicants evaluate key ranking factors, especially in a virtual format. This study aimed to assess how applicants evaluated programs in the virtual cycle.Methods: We surveyed 271 fourth-year students at three Chicago medical schools after rank-list submission and prior to receiving match results in March 2021. The survey included questions on online content and importance of different ranking factors as well as open-ended questions on how participants evaluated their most important factors. We analyzed quantitative data using descriptive statistics and χ2 tests. We analyzed qualitative data using thematic content analysis.Results: Applicants cited goodness of fit, geographic location, program reputation, fellowship opportunities, and work/life balance as the top-five most important factors. URM applicants were more likely to prioritize diversity at institution or location (P<.0001). Interactions with residents and faculty and opportunities to observe interprogram dynamics were key to assessing fit but were often limited by the virtual format. Additional emergent themes provided recommendations for future cycles. Program websites and videos were rated as the most important online content types.Conclusions: This study provides information about how applicants evaluated the factors they deemed most important in assessing and ranking programs, which can help residency programs improve their recruitment efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical assistant vacancies require ambulatory care clinics to reallocate critical, clinical workflows to other members of the healthcare team. This shift in workload can increase stress and burnout while decreasing overall top of license work. An urban, academic medical center implemented a medical assistance apprenticeship to address this workforce challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose.: Strong academic–clinical partnerships have been advocated to optimize the training of the next generation of health professionals and to best meet the needs of patients and society. Despite the benefits of partnerships, there is a lack of literature describing successful models for collaboration between physical therapist (PT) schools and academic medical center hospitals. The purpose of this article was to describe the formal partnership between the Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences (DPTHMS) and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, Illinois. Method/Model Description and Evaluation.: The partnership is presented through the lens of D'Amour's 4-dimensional model of collaboration highlighting 4 critical dimensions of collaboration: shared goals and activities , internalization , formalization , and governance. Outcomes.: The establishment of this partnership has fostered the institutions' achievement of mutual goals supporting their interconnected visions and missions. Examples of the collaboration's shared goal and activities include: the tripling of clinical education experiences for professional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students; establishment of 2 post professional PT residency programs; proliferation of DPT teaching opportunities for Shirley Ryan AbiltyLab clinical PTs with formal university academic appointments for 6 Shirley Ryan Ability Lab PTs; and clinical appointments for 7 of 34 eligible DPTHMS faculty members. The internalization dimension is evidenced by regularly scheduled communications; promotion of opportunities for mutual acquaintanceship through shared boards and teams; socialization opportunities; and trust-building across institutions. The primary example of formalization is the legal collaboration agreement signed in 2013 and amended in 2019. Partnership governance is achieved through a structure of designated liaisons, shared boards, and regular interinstitutional leadership meetings. Discussion and Conclusion.: D'Amour's structuration model describes predictors for successful interinstitutional clinical–academic partnerships. The model's 4 collaboration dimensions facilitate the assessment of partnership success for both established partnerships and for institutions in the planning stage of such collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood obesity in Chicago, particularly in underrepresented communities of color, exceeds that of national rates. Access to healthy foods in these communities is also often limited. A garden-based education program was implemented in Chicago's South and West Side elementary, middle and high schools. Findings from this work augment the literature and illustrate that implementing gardens in elementary, middle, and high schools has a positive impact on availability, access, and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as students' social emotional well-being. School nurses are in prime positions to advocate for students' health and well-being by collaborating with community programs, and championing policy development. Rigorous studies are needed to better understand the long-term health and social benefits of having school gardens on the prevention of obesity, positive mental health outcomes, and economic benefits, while controlling for socio-economic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]