The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #68322

Gwendolyn F Foss, DNSc, Department of Family & Community Nursing, University of North Carolina At Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, 704-687-4401, gffoss@email.uncc.edu

Three weeks into fall semester, 2002, the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects requested that all CHN students submit internship projects for IRB approval. Students, preceptors, agencies, and the instructor were not expecting that IRB approval would be required for the issue had previously never been raised. These projects were not research projects, but program evaluation and development. There was; however, a data collection component and students were encouraged to disseminate the results of their project by poster or manuscript submissions to appropriate professional forums. Because this new requirement was a deviation from signed contracts, the instructor informed all parties and attempted to make implementation as easy as possible. All were unprepared for ripple effects that such a requirement would have on some agencies with signed contracts for internship placements. Because the university required IRB approval, some agencies followed suit and rescinded permission for internship projects until all agency research committees approved. Some agencies stated that it could take a year for agency approval. Major modifications and new placements were implemented so students could complete their internship within the two-semester time-frame. This presentation will describe how the CHN internship experience has changed and how the course now reflects this new reality. It will demonstrate tools and resources for students and preceptors that are now in place and how the internet has been used to facilitate easy access by preceptors and students not in the immediate area. Preliminary evaluation of the revised process by preceptors and students will be shared.

Learning Objectives:

• To describe how one CHN Internship changed to incorporate IRB and HIPPA requirements.
• To demonstrate how the internet has been used to make resources relative to obtaining IRB approval more available to preceptors and students.

Keywords: Internet, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.