CRI

Hillel Sapir

During the past week I spent the first few days completing the SAMSHA patient information.  Once I had completed documenting the final few patients, I began working on the analysis plan for the BE Well Program.  An analysis plan is a written document which specifically states how the data we collect will be used to answer our program evaluation questions.  The analysis plan details how each program question is to be answered using the clinical data.  My supervisor and I spent the majority of two days closely examining all the data and resources so that we could determine how they would apply to different program questions.  Once we determined the specific application of each data type, we then had to select a statistical analysis which would further answer the questions (simple descriptive statistics and frequencies, paired t-test, regressions, chi square, etc).

The last day of the week I spent my time meeting with program staff and other evaluation groups.  One aspect of work that many people over look is the human variable.  Almost any job can be made possible or impossible by the people with which one works.  If relationships within the work place are fluid and friendly, the office place can be a very enjoyable place, but if the relationships are not agreeable one may find many problems.  I began planning lunches with many other program staff members with whom I work for exactly these reasons.  Being in the social scene throughout my undergraduate program, I have come to realize that people are a lot more friendly when they realize that people recognize their contributions and that they are people outside of their job.  I spent a few hours making a completely homemade meal, which I brought to work this morning for our lunch.  During lunch we did not speak at all concerning our work, but instead simply enjoyed each others company, allowing the program staff and our evaluation group to recognize each other as individual people, not simply CRI or Centerstone workers.