HEALTH AND WELLNESS FIELD EXPERIENCE AT RILEY COUNTY RESEARCH AND EXTENSION

Abstract

My time at research and extension began on January 7, 2015 and lasted until April 15, 2015. During this time I completed my required one hundred and eighty hours of experience at the courthouse office as well as other program locations: schools and public buildings in the city of Manhattan. Throughout my time at Riley County Research and Extension, I was supervised by Virginia (Ginny) Barnard, MPH. Ginny, a former Kansas State MPH alumnus, is currently a Riley County Extension agent in Family and Consumer Sciences. As a Family and Consumer Sciences agent she is responsible for developing and implementing educational programs on family issues relevant to nutrition, food safety, parenting, financial management, health and safety, and family and personal relationships (Riley County, 2015b). Ginny has many responsibilities as a member of various coalitions and committees as well as the director of many health and wellness programs, and she allowed me to attend and work on some of these projects throughout my field experience. I was assigned to two major programs and several secondary programs to work on while at Extension; DIET FREE, a healthful lifestyle adoption program, and Manhattan Parks and Recreation youth basketball sports nutrition education programs were my two major programs. My secondary roles were to assist Ginny in youth yoga sessions, to guest lecture at the county employee “Lunch and Learn” series, and to attend monthly Flint Hills Wellness Coalition meetings.