Welcome!
The UNC Evaluation of the Jobs to Careers Program is wrapping up our first phase of data collection. It has been a productive and successful year! We have enjoyed working with you throughout this evaluation process and look forward to continuing our work with you.
This newsletter contains information about Evaluation Team Transitions, reminders about our Frontline Healthcare Worker Questionnaires and how those questionnaires will affect you, as well as information regarding Phase II Activities. Please read on and direct any questions to our project staff at (919) 966-6866. As always, this newsletter is intended for you, so if you have any comments, suggestions, or ideas to make it more useful or informative, please share! You may contact our Study Coordinator, Melissa Mann.
New & Noteworthy
Evaluation Team Transitions
Several changes are afoot with the UNC Evaluation Team that may affect your contacts in the coming months. Starting October 1, project manager Sara Haviland will be transitioning out of daily project management and taking on the role of research consultant with the team as she finishes her PhD work. While she will remain a research consultant with the Institute on Aging, she will no longer be located in-house at UNC but rather working remotely from Silver Spring, MD and participating in some of our site visits.
Daily project coordination will be split into two positions, that of Data Manager and Study Coordinator. These roles will be filled by Ashley Stout and Melissa Mann, respectively.
Ashley will continue to coordinate the collection of surveys and field any questions you may have about data collection activities.
Melissa will carry out the daily organization of the UNC Evaluation Team, coordinating site visits and communications.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the project, you should feel free to contact Co-Principal Investigator(s): Jennifer Craft Morgan or Bob Konrad.
Phase II Activities
We would like to thank many of you for making this year a successful one. Phase II site visits are set to begin in the fall for most sites, and will wrap up in the spring. Phase II will involve much of the same activities from the initial site visits, with a few minor changes.We will be performing seven virtual site visits (all interviews via telephone) and two on-location site visits. We will again conduct interviews, via telephone or in person, with key members at each site. These key members may also be asked to complete a short survey. For the first round of grantees these second phase site visits will take place November, 2007 through January, 2008. If you have a preference for timing of the site visit, please contact Melissa Mann (919-966-6866; mmann@schsr.unc.edu).
We will also be administering the Frontline Healthcare Worker Questionnaires in Phase II for participating members of your cohort and any identified comparison members. Please see specific information regarding this questionnaire below.
A member of the UNC Evaluation Team will contact your site in the coming months to schedule your Phase II site visit. At that time, you will receive a Phase II Activity Guide that will clearly state any new procedures.
Jobs to Careers Evaluation Database
The database for The UNC Evaluation of The Jobs to Careers Program is set to be available by the end of October. This will be a web-based survey interface for which sites will be asked to update information on their cohort participants quarterly. Site users will be able to view this data for tracking and reporting purposes. Sites will use this survey to communicate any program or contact information changes for recorded participants to the evaluation team. Sites will also be able to generate reports on participants. More information will become available as the database approaches the launch date.
Gentle Reminders
Frontline Healthcare Worker Questionnaires
Several sites will be ready to begin their first cohort this fall. Please remember, the information we receive from your frontline healthcare workers is vital to the national evaluation of the program. That is why it is crucial for us to survey the participating members of your first cohort and any identified comparison members. These surveys are key in helping the entire program understand the issues and problems faced by frontline healthcare workers.
Approximately one month prior to the beginning of your first cohort, you will need to notify the UNC Evaluation office via email at jobs2careers@unc.edu or at (919) 966-6866. At that time, a member of the UNC Evaluation Team will contact you shortly before you begin your curriculum to discuss your site’s specific situation. The UNC Team member will collect your list of participating members from you and discuss with you the process for determining a pool of comparison members. Together, we will develop a plan for the dissemination and collection of the Frontline Healthcare Worker Questionnaires at your site through a designated site liaison.
Following the telephone conversation, you will receive the Questionnaires in the mail, along with the detailed instructions developed for you. A member of the UNC Evaluation Team will be available to you throughout this entire process should you have any questions or problems with the Questionnaires.
Thank you in advance for making the Frontline Healthcare Worker Questionnaire process run effortlessly.
Please remember, if any surveys or other evaluation information are left at your site during the initial site visit, to return that information to the UNC Evaluation Team’s office as soon as possible. Your information and opinions are important to us!
Mail them to:
Melissa Mann
c/o Jobs to Careers Evaluation
720 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. CB# 1030
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1030
Common Questions
If you have any questions you would like our team to address in future newsletters, please submit them to Study Coordinator Melissa Mann.