Oct. 29, 2001 Media Advisory To: News Directors and News Editors From: Veronika Brown, Coordinator of Media Relations, 342-5444 NATIONAL ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS WEEK AT ULM Starting Monday Nov. 4 and lasting until Friday Nov. 10 it's National Allied Health Professions Week all across America and on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. During that week all programs in the Allied Health Profession will be highlighted at ULM. The College of Allied Health includes Clinical Laboratory Science, Communicative Disorders, Occupational Therapy, Dental Hygiene, and Radiologic Technology. Dr. David Irwin, Dean of ULM's College of Allied Health and Rehabilitation Professions (CAHRP), says, "Allied health and rehabilitation professionals are members of the health care team which provide a variety of services for patients. They provide clinical laboratory work, x-rays, MRI's, treatment for occupational, physical and communication disabilities, and dental hygiene services. They work very closely with other health professionals including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in a variety of settings including private and public health agencies." ULM's CAHRP offers many opportunities for students who want to study in this field. There are three clinics on campus with regular patients. All clinics are run by ULM students, but under strict supervision from faculty. They are the Speech and Hearing Clinic, the Dental Hygiene Clinic, and the Occupational Therapy Clinic. Most of the clinics are booked with patients with many other names on a long waiting list. The ULM CAHRP offers eight degree programs in five academic departments. It is the largest academic unit for health and rehabilitation professions in the University of Louisiana System. It is the only College in the ULS to offer programs in speech-language pathology and occupational therapy. The wide offerings allow students and faculty to have numerous opportunities in education, research, and service. All programs or their affiliates hold accreditation and job demand is very high for the various professions in Allied Health. This college holds excellent pass rates on licensure examination in all areas. There is also a wide variety of fieldwork and internships available in this area of study. The college has agreements with 325 agencies and organizations. With these opportunities, students gain experience in a variety of settings including hospitals, rehabilitation agencies, private practice, state and federal agencies, public and private schools, mental health agencies, home health and outpatient clinics. Placements are made throughout Louisiana and the United States. The week of Allied Health Professions ends with ULM's "Browse on the Bayou" on Saturday, Nov. 10th. "Browse on the Bayou" includes group tours of the campus, question and answer sessions with faculty and staff and sessions on scholarships and financial aid. During the week of Nov. 4-10, ULM welcomes all media on campus for an inside look at ULM's CAHRP. The following are some ideas that might help you build a story for your news organization: In the field of Clinical Laboratory Science you will find students who are learning how to do lab work on a number of things including anthrax. This may be a great angle to tie in with the current media coverage related to bio-terrorism. You could find out how the Clinical Laboratory Scientist is involved with the diagnosis. You may want to shadow a student in this area or in another other area of interest. There are opportunities to shadow students on or off campus to find out how they are preparing for their career. There are also opportunities to do a story from the perspective of a client/patient who has had a CVA (cerebral vascular accident or "stroke") or an MVA (motor vehicle accident) and the allied health professionals involved with the care of this client/patient. Also you could interview a client (with permission) who has received services in one of the three clinics. The Dean of ULM's CAHRP is also available for interviews at any time to discuss the Allied Health Professions at ULM. For more information: contact Dr. David Irwin at 342-1622. -ulm-