Presenter Profile
Charles Jennissen, MD
Department of Emergency Medicine
University of Iowa Healthcare
charles-jennissen@uiowa.edu
Charles Jennissen, MD, is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and a Clinical Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Dr. Jennissen grew up on a dairy farm in central Minnesota. This plays a large part in his interest in safety and injury prevention, particularly regarding children and teens, and those who work and live on farms. Most of his research projects have addressed injury-related issues, especially those involving off-road vehicles.
Presentations
A National Study of Firearm Use and Safety Training of Rural Adolescents
Jamie (Miller) Koopman, MD
Benjamin Linden, BS
Megan Sinik, BS
Kristel Wetjen, RN, MSN
Pam Hoogerwerf, BA
Junlin Liao, PhD
Charles Jennissen, MD
Data regarding rural youth’s experience with firearms is limited despite their frequent presence in homes. Firearm training is considered an important aspect of safety and preventing unintentional firearm injuries and deaths. Our objective was to investigate rural adolescents' use of firearms and whether they had received formal firearm training.
A convenience sample of 2021 National FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) Convention & Expo attendees were given an anonymous survey at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital injury prevention booth. The survey explored their use of rifles/shotguns and handguns, when they first fired them, and whether they had completed a firearm training certification course. Data was compiled in Qualtrics and exported to Stata 15.1 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas). Descriptive (frequencies), bivariate (chi-square, Fisher’s exact test) and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed.
3,206 adolescents of ages 13-18 years participated with 45% reporting they lived on a farm or ranch, 34% lived in the country but not on a farm and 21% lived in town. The vast majority of participants (85%) had fired a rifle/shotgun; 43% reported firing them >100 times. Of those that had fired rifles/shotguns, 41% had done so before 9 years old and 71% before 12 years. Most had also fired a handgun (69%), with 23% having fired handguns >100 times. Of those that had fired handguns, 44% had done so before 11 years of age and 77% before 14 years. Average age for first firing rifles/shotguns was 9.5 (SD 3.1) years, and 11.1 (SD 3.0) years for handguns. Males, non-Hispanic Whites, and those living on farms or in the country had significantly greater percentages that had fired a rifle/shotgun or a handgun. Significant differences were also seen by U.S. Census Region. Over half (64%) reported they had gone hunting with 32% first hunting before 9 years old and 55% before 11 years. Of those that had used a firearm, 67% had completed a firearm safety training course. Overall, 23% were/had been members of a school or club shooting team and of these, 87% had taken a safety course.
Most FFA member participants had fired both rifles/shotguns and handguns, many at very young ages. Significant differences in firearm use were noted by demographic factors including the youth’s home setting (i.e., farms and ranches) and their U.S. Census Region. Substantial numbers of adolescents that had used a firearm had not received formal training. Families should be advised when it is developmentally appropriate to introduce youth to firearms, and all should take firearm safety training before using them.
1. To understand at what ages rural youth are starting to shoot rifles/shotguns and handguns, and the frequency of their use.
2. To be able to list two factors that are associated with an increased proportion of rural youth having fired a rifle/shotgun or a handgun.
3. To be able to state the proportion of rural youth that have obtained firearm safety training and describe two factors associated with adolescent firearm users having received training or not.
Navigating Mentor-Mentee Relationships in Injury Prevention: From Successes to Challenges
Sofia Chaudhary, MD
Brent Troy, MD
Kathy Monroe, MD, MSQI
Wendy Pomerantz, MD, MSCE
Maneesha Agarwal, MD
Altamish Daredia, MD
Charles Jennissen, MD
Steve Rogers, MD, MS-CTR
The mentor-mentee relationship is a vital connection for professional and personal growth and success. This relationship can be transformative for both the mentee and mentor and result in pivotal career defining moments. Yet there is no standardized curriculum for being a mentor during medical training and many of us find ourselves in this role early on in our careers. Additionally, finding a mentor that would support growth and discovery for your injury prevention interests may require making connections outside of your department or institution to find a good fit.
This workshop will include panelists that are in various stages of being a mentor (seasoned, mid career, early career) along with mentees to provide attendees with the breadth of experiences for mentor mentee relationships. How can we find that transformative mentor mentee relationship? This session will define key components needed for these relationships to thrive and panelists will share their best practices. Attendees will also learn pitfalls that can unravel mentor mentee relationships. We will discuss how to find a mentor that would support your injury prevention interests and share our mentorship discovery paths.
Attendees will then participate in break-out sessions with small groups to discuss best approach to challenging topics including: • What to do when the mentor mentee relationship isn’t working? • How to approach authorship discussions with your mentor or mentorship team? • How to navigate having a mentor from an outside institution?
At the conclusion of workshop groups will share what they have learned from the breakout session. We will conclude the session by discussing how to transition from being a mentee to mentor.
1. Define key components needed for a successful mentor-mentee relationship
2. Identify pitfalls that can lead to a breakdown in the relationship
3. Explore how to find a good fit for a mentor for your injury prevention interests
4. Discuss how to overcome roadblocks and navigate challenging topics within the mentor-mentee relationship
5. Understand how to transition from being the mentee to the mentor