Student Survey

Principal Investigator: Dr. Mulumebet Worku

Dear Respondent,

I am inviting you to participate in a research study assessing the need for a certificate program in Agromedicine. You are being asked to participate because you are a health care provider, agribusiness employer, university faculty, university student, or another business who may be associated with agriculture workers in North Carolina. The procedure involves completing a survey that will take approximately 10 minutes. The survey questions will be concerning the need for an Agromedicine certificate program. Through your participation I hope to understand the current level of need for Agromedicine training throughout North Carolina, as well as an Agromedicine certification program. You must be at least 18 years old to participate.

To protect your confidentiality, the survey will not contain information that will personally identify you, and I will not ask for your name. All information collected in this study will be kept completely confidential to the extent permitted by law.

I do not anticipate any risks from participating in this research.

This project has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at North Carolina A&T State University.

Your participation is voluntary and there is no penalty if you do not participate. You may stop the survey at any time or skip any questions you do not wish to answer. If you have any questions about completing the questionnaire or about being in this study, you may contact Dr. Mulumebet Worku, at worku@ncat.edu, or at 336-285-4816 or Kristin Rouse at kmrouse@aggies.ncat.edu. If you have any study-related concerns or any questions about your rights as a research study participant, you may contact the Office of Research Compliance and Ethics at North Carolina A&T State University at (336) 285-3183.

By completing this survey, you are indicating that you at least 18 years old, have read this document, have had any questions answered, and voluntarily agree to take part in this research study. You may print a copy of this consent agreement for your records.
This project is aimed at contributing to the development of effective educational approaches at partnering institutions in line with Goal 4 of the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute and the strategic plan. The Agromedicine Institute, in its most recent strategic plan, has recognized the need to launch a new certificate program to reflect progress in the collaborative agro medicine initiative, developments in One Health, farm safety, and healthcare professions. The certificate program will ensure a professional edge and increased awareness of careers and employment opportunities for graduates in Agricultural health and safety. The proposed effort is also in line with the strategic goal 3 of the National Occupational Research Agenda, as well as strategic goal 3 of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Preeminence 2020. Issue to be addressed: Currently there is no Agromedicine or agricultural health and safety certificate or degree program in the southeastern US. Development of an inter- institutional certificate program is needed to address emerging needs for trained personnel and make citizens, industry, and academia aware of the needs and opportunities in Agromedicine

Goals/objectives: The goal of this project is to identify needs of a certification program of this type and lay the foundation to seek funding for the establishment of an inter- institutional certificate in Agromedicine. For the purpose of this survey, agriculture includes farming, fishing and forestry and all individuals working in those sectors.