IME course offers PMI training to students and professionals

Dr. Betsy Aller (with a PMI certificate) and IME 6140 students; most are working toward the 35 PDUs needed to take the PMP exam

WMU is completing its first year as a registered education provider (REP) for the Project Management Institute (PMI), “the world’s leading not-for-profit association for the project management profession,” according to its Web site at http://www.pmi.org

Three faculty members in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) – Dr. Larry Mallak, Dr. Betsy Aller, and Dr. David Lyth – are actively involved in the delivery of courses and/or training offering professional development units (PDUs).

“Being a REP allows us to offer PDUs for students and professionals who wish to sit for the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam,” said Mallak, who was acknowledged for completing the paperwork to secure REP certification.

Mallak said that project management is an essential skill set in industry today. The increasing complexity of work and the need for integration of skilled workers to produce work that’s on time and that meets specifications requires more technical professionals to hold PMP credentials.

IME 6140 Project Management provides an effective means for local employers to send their employees for project management training. Students in WMU’s program get more than the typical training offered by other providers.

“They get the academic foundation for the project management content and preparation for the PMP exam,” Mallak said. “The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is now a required text in the course and is the basis for the PMP exam material.”

By taking IME 6140 and paying an administrative fee, those students interested in earning PMI certification can garner the necessary 35 PDUs needed to take the PMP exam. “We are the only university in Michigan that’s licensed to deliver the training and offer those PDUs,” Mallak said.

According to Mallak, getting PMP certification has become an important element of a professional portfolio. “There’s been a huge growth in the demand for PMPs,” he said. “There’s also been a substantial increase in the number of people taking the exam.”

WMU’s REP status was awarded last January for the calendar year, and Mallak said that plans call for the license to be renewed on an annual basis. As a REP, WMU is licensed to award PDUs not only in IME 6140 coursework, but also in shorter training courses offered to local industry and online. These courses must be approved by PMI.

“They provide additional opportunities for West Michigan employees to have ready access to high quality training while obtaining credits toward their PMP credential or toward their PMP renewal,” Mallak said. “To retain their PMP status, those with PMP credentials must earn a minimum number of PDUs.”

According to Dr. Paul Engelmann, the IME Chair, the advantage to having certification is that training is available locally. “We can now offer short courses so local industry won’t have to send their people to Chicago to be trained,” he said. “And for a small fee, our students who take IME 6140 can get those credits as part of their master’s or doctoral work.”

For more information about PMI, email larry.mallak@wmich.edu or betsy.aller@wmich.edu

“Aspire to a Career” connects job-seekers to more than 80 employers

More than 80 employers are coming next week to the 2008 Engineering and Applied Sciences [EAS] Career Fair. It’s set for Thurs., Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The Parkview event is free and open to the public, with no pre-registration required to attend.

Heather Highhouse, assistant director for Career and Student Employment Services (CSES) and career advisor for the CEAS, is coordinating the event. The theme of this year’s engineering career fair is “Aspire to a Career,” which she said is a way to focus on the CEAS spire that serves as a beacon in front of the Parkview Campus. The spire is featured on the 2008 career fair tabloid.

Representatives from many sectors of the economy offer opportunities to students, alum, and others. Some areas include manufacturing, aeronautical, aviation, service, health care, medical, mechanical, civil, energy, construction, distribution, chemical, paper, electrical and electronic, computer, food, governmental and military.

“We have an excellent balance of employers participating in this year’s career fair,” Highhouse said.

Highhouse has also partnered with the advising office to provide this year’s fair with a student/information area for name tags, maps, tabloids, and information.

Eaton Corp. is sponsoring this year’s fair. According to its Web site, Eaton is a diversified power management company and global technology leader in electrical systems, hydraulics, aerospace technology for commercial and military use, and truck and automotive drivetrain and powertrain systems. It has 81,000 employees, sells to customers in 150 countries, and had $13 billion in sales in 2007.

More than 120 students attended the Engineer Your Career 2008
Workshop to prepare for the "Aspire to a Career" Engineering
and Applied Sciences Career Fair on Thurs., Sept. 25, at Parkview

To prepare students for the fair, Eaton sponsored "Engineer your Career," a four-hour event that attracted over 120 students last week.  The event included a resume workshop, a fashion show of successful professional attire provided by Macy's and a planel with tips for success.

Professionals from Eaton, Whirlpool Corp., Consumers Energy, and the Department of Labor and Economic Growth provided perspectives on networking, interviewing, etiquette, and the economic outlook. “This was one of the best resources to help students prepare for the fair,” Highhouse said.

Eaton has been consistently supportive of CEAS students, projects, and programs. “We really appreciate all that Eaton has done for us,” Highhouse said.

Students who are looking for positions are encouraged to dress appropriately professional and to bring copies of their resumes.

Assistance in resume preparation is available during drop-in office hours in the Advising Suite at Parkview: MW -12 to 2 p.m. and TR – 11:30-1:30 p.m. Additional hours are available on the main campus. Students can also call (269) 276-3241 to schedule an appointment.

Job seekers should prepare for the EAS career fair by reviewing the list of employers and researching those of interest ahead of time. All employers registered are identified on the Web site. Employers have until the day before the event to sign up. As employers register, they are added to the Web site in real-time. To view registered employers and/or to register as an employer, go to

 http://wmich.erecruiting.com/st/cf_registered_employers?fhnd=3219

Highhouse, who is coordinating the annual event for the first time, credited several student organizations and student assistants for their support: Nicole Maggio, graduate assistant, Joe Mydosh, peer educator, and Matt Smith, co-op assistant. For more info, call (269) 387-2745 or go to www.broncojobs.wmich.educareer

CEAS students collect nursing data for Bronson study

Six years ago Drs. Tycho Fredericks and Steven Butt, industrial engineering faculty in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, received two grants to provide quantifiable data about nursing care activities of the Bronson Methodist Hospital nursing staff.

At the time approximately 17 WMU students used palm pilots to collect data on the time nurses spent with patients in two areas – a surgical intensive care unit and a general medical unit – based on the level of care required by the patients. The collected data assisted Bronson with strategic decisions and will be used to develop innovative scheduling and facility design models for hospitals.

The study, “Determining the Relationship Between Patient Acuity, Time Standards, and Productivity,” was funded by two grants, one from the Bronson Healthcare Group and another from Bronson Research Fund.

“After Bronson moved into its new building in 2000, we started collecting data on nurses working in the new single patient rooms in the general medical unit,” Butt said. “Once we collected and analyzed data for that study, we completed similar research on the surgical intensive care unit where they have a very different type of patient.”

This summer, Stephanie Means, a doctorial research associate, is directing another extension of the study that started in 2006 and runs to the end of this year. It is focused on Bronson’s neonatal unit. “The old neonatal unit had a typical open ward layout with five nurseries with 8­10 patients each,” she said. “When Bronson moved into the new North Campus pavilion, mother and baby shared a single room, so we’re looking at the difference between the two different setups – neonatal ward and single patient room – in terms of care and impact on nurses and patients.”

Four industrial engineering students – Carlee McClintic, Amanda Glick, Ashley Hoverkamp, and Yenni Chen – are collecting information about the amount of time nurses spend with patients based on the level of care required. Assisting the group is Sarah Meade.

“What’s unique and important about the work is that the students are using actual continuous direct observation,” Means said. “We are tracking nursing activities.”

Means described continuous direct observation as “a hybrid of work sampling and time study.” The students use palm pilots that contain all the activities that the nurses perform. They follow the nurses all day and record everything the nurses do and the paths they take.

“It’s like a big data recording drive,” Means said. “We collect information on everything the nurses do directly with the baby and everything they do indirectly, which includes filling out charts and forms and performing unit activities.”

Nurses also wear pedometers to track the distance they travel and heart rate monitors to measure energy expenditure and to determine which activities cause spikes. “We capture everything they do,” Means said.

In the past, researchers have done random time sampling by checking every 5 minutes or so, and they’ve done studies with either or both independent observers and self-reporting by the nurses. “What makes this research special is the continuous direct observation,” Means said. “It’s labor intensive because we’re often capturing data 7 days a week for 24 hours a day.”

The data collected in the most recent study will also be compared with the data collected in the two earlier research studies. “We may find something from our early analysis, and we may have to collect more data,” Means said. “We will have a lot of data to study and analyze.”

The research team plans to write papers on the discoveries made. “The team will do a paper to compare and contrast what we’ve learned here with the previous two studies,” Means said.

Eventually Means hopes that the results can be used to “make life simpler and less stressful for the nurses.”

“We may be able to standardize some activities, and streamline some procedures,” she said. “We’re also looking at the built environment for future building projects.”

For more info, e-mail tycho.fredericks@wmich.edu