Human Trafficking Prevention through Faculty Professional Development

Grant Winners

Dean

Abstract

Slavery is capitalism at its worst. Estimates vary on the number of people currently trafficked nationally from 14,500 to 2.5 million. The Department of Justice and the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking indicate Florida is a major hub for trafficking and specifically mention children sexual trafficking. Ample evidence exists in the literature that awareness and intervention training is sorely needed for health care providers. Furthermore, there is a need to include training in health care professions curricula. Preliminary data obtained from a mixed-methods need assessment of community partners involved in the prevention of human trafficking (HT) indicated that health care providers need knowledge and skills in identifying victims of HT. A second mixed-methods assessment was conducted to determine the NSU College of Allied Health and Nursing faculty need for Human Trafficking Curriculum. Findings indicate that training was needed for faculty, students, and health care providers in general. The purpose of this study is to create a professional development program focused on HT knowledge and skills that influence faculty willingness to adopt HT curriculum. Five professional development modules will be designed in partnership with the Broward Human Trafficking Coalition, guided by the principles of the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) and Adult Learning Theory. The proposed feasibility study will utilize a mixed-methods evaluative approach, focusing on formative and summative outcomes. Cross sectional surveys will be collected after each module. Qualitative data will also be collected through open ended survey items and a focus group. Human trafficking is a complex problem with overwhelming importance. There is a need to identify ways that health care professionals may play a role in the elimination of "modern day slavery". By influencing faculty to adopt HT curriculum, the knowledge and skills to identify victims can be taught to their students, the future health care providers.