Ensuring Student Success in the Healthcare
Workforce through Preparation and National
Certification
Featuring the National Healthcareer Association and Broward
County Schools
Session Agenda
• Introductions - we want to learn about you.
- who is the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)?
• Healthcare industry employment trends
• Introduction to national certification – what is it and why is it important?
• How NHA ensures student success in the healthcare workforce
• Successful Certification Implementation – Broward County Schools
• “Best practice” certification preparation.
• Benefits of partnering with NHA and getting started
Nancy Boulger | PN Administrator| Broward County Schools
Nboulger@browardschools.com
(754) 321-5157
Lyndsey McDonald | Director, School Partnerships| NHA
Lyndsey.Hall@NHAnow.com
(978) 460-2605
2
We want to hear from you • Do you offer career-specific health science
programs?
• Do you currently offer industry recognized
credentials as part of your Health Science
program(s)?
• Do you partner with local healthcare
providers to coordinate externships or seek
input on program development?
• Do you face any challenges related to
offering industry certifications?
• Why is offering certification important to
• You?
• Your students?
• Your school and/or school district?
3
NHA is leading the way
NHA is the leading provider of entry level allied health career certifications.
Our Mission
is to drive allied health professional excellence to advocate for quality patient care.
Our Vision
is for our certification and educational solutions to empower allied health
professional achievement with proven product efficacy and exceptional support
preferred by professionals, educators, and employers.
Who We Are
The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) is one of the nation’s largest allied
health certification providers. Since 1989 NHA has helped thousands of schools
across the nation to produce better professionals and better program outcomes.
What We Do
NHA is dedicated to improving the quality of patient care through education,
certification and ongoing professional development of allied health practitioners.
Healthcare Industry Employment Trends
According to the Huffington Post:
• 5.6 million NEW healthcare related
jobs by 2020.
Allied Healthcare Industry:
• Represents over 60% of the
healthcare workforce.
SOURCE: University of California San Francisco
• Considered ‘Career Ladder’ jobs
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Reasons for growth:
• Demographic changes (i.e. aging
population is increasing).
• Large group of healthcare
workers nearing retirement.
• Cost-efficiencies.
A Positive Outlook for
Healthcare Professions
NHA CERTIFICATIONS
Patient Care Technician (CPCT)
2010
TOTAL
MEDIAN
PAY
1,505,000 $ 24,190
% GROWTH
NEW JOBS
BY 2020
20-28%
496,100
Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)
528,000 $ 29,100
29%
243,800
Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)
509,000 $ 31,060
29%
278,400
Billing & Coding Specialist (CBCS)
505,000 $ 32,880
20-28%
187,600
Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
334,000 $ 28,940
29%
166,300
Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)
202,000 $ 30,790
10-19%
65,800
Electronic Health Record Specialist (CEHRS)
180,000 $ 33,310
20-28%
73,700
49,000 $ 51,020
29%
22,100
EKG Technician (CET)
*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
6
Certification Defined
• What is a national certification?
• The process of publicly attesting that a specified quality or standard has been
achieved or exceeded.
• Third party validation of competency as being able to competently complete a
job or task, usually by the passing of an examination.
• Typically a voluntary process.
• How does certification differ from licensure?
• State grant of legal authority to practice a profession within a designated
scope of practice.
• Why is it important?
7
Why Certify?
From an Employer’s Perspective
•
•
•
WHY CERTIFY
Promote Higher Standard of Practice
• Patient Safety
• Patient Satisfaction
Satisfy Growing Regulatory and Other
Industry Compliance Requirements
• CMS Meaningful Use Initiatives
•
- State Regulations
Other Important Considerations
• Risk Mitigation
• Cost Reduction
• Employee Satisfaction and Retention
• Employee Advancement
• Multiple Credentials = More Qualified,
Well-trained Professionals.
Why Certify?
From a Student’s Perspective
• Experience a competitive edge during
the job search.
• Provides a solid foundation for
furthering education.
• Demonstrates commitment to chosen
profession and to patient care and
safety.
• Improved potential for earnings, career
opportunities, and advancement.
• National credentials may ensure
employment potential nationwide
WHY CERTIFY
FAQs: http://www.nhanow.com/faq.aspx
Why Certify?
From a School’s Perspective
•
•
•
•
WHY CERTIFY
Demonstrates commitment to your
students’ and contributes to district’s
success/funding opportunities.
Generally speaking, certification improves
student graduation rates and overall
achievement of student “work readiness”
success measures.
Better Professionals through 3rd party
validation of students’ competencies.
Increases students’ potential for improved
earning and advancement opportunities.
FAQs: http://www.nhanow.com/faq.aspx
NHA Credentials
Clinical Medical Assistant
Certification (CCMA)
Certified Electronic Health
Record Specialist (CEHRS)
Phlebotomy Technician
Certification (CPT)
EKG Technician (CET)
Pharmacy Technician
Certification (CPhT)
Patient Care Technician
Certification (CPCT)
Certified Medical
Administrative Assistant
(CMAA)
Making the healthcare
industry better
one healthcare worker
at a time.
Certified Billing and
Coding Specialist (CBCS)
We offer 8 allied health certifications, which have been successfully adopted
by over 2,400 educational programs and
greater than 400,000 practitioners across the United States.
All exams except Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) are offered provisionally.
11
Eligibility requirements for NHA
certifications
Examination for the
Certification of
Pharmacy Technicians
(ExCPT)
Certified
Phlebotomy
Technician (CPT)
Certified EKG
Technician (CET)
Eligibility Requirements:
•
Students must be 18 years old and
posses a high school diploma (ExCPT)
•
Students must not have any criminal
history (ExCPT)
•
Students must be within we months of
graduating from high school prior (all
other certifications)
•
Phlebotomy certification requires 25 live
venipuncture sticks and 10 live capillary
sticks
•
EKG Tech certification requires 10 live
EKG’s
Students (except for Pharmacy Tech) will receive a provisional certification
that expires 12 months after testing unless proof of graduation is presented.
Proof of graduation transfers a students certification from provisional to full
Stackable Certifications:
Ensuring Workforce Success
Possible Health Science Programs
NHA Certifications
Medical Assistant
CCMA, CPT, CET, CEHRS, CMAA
Medical Administrative Assistant
CMAA, CEHRS
Medical Billing and Coding
CBCS, CMAA, CEHRS
Pharmacy Technician^
CPhT
Phlebotomy Technician
CPT
Patient Care Technician
CPCT, CPT, CET, CEHRS
Training in several areas of expertise will help your students achieve higher levels of
accountability and proficiency. Building a stair-step “multi-certification” program
makes succeeding more attainable and rewarding. Students stay engaged and
experience measurable wins throughout the program(s).
^Must be taken post-graduation.
More information: http://www.nhanow.com/schools/multiple-credentials.aspx
13
Student Success from Start to Finish
Your Health Science Program(s)
+
ATI Allied Health Certification
Exam Preparation
Study Guides, Practice
Exams, and Focused Review
+
Industry Recognized,
Accredited Certifications
Achieve Career and Work
Ready Students
14
14
Broward County Schools Health Science
Since 2007 Broward County Schools has partnered with NHA to provide quality industry
certifications to secondary and postsecondary students
CAPE - The Florida Career and Professional Education Act was enacted through
legislation in 2007.
Why CAPE?
• Improve Florida’s talent pipeline in order to better attract and retain targeted, highvalue industries and to develop a knowledge-based economy
• Ensure that education, industry, workforce and economic development partners in
every community are collaborating to create new and meaningful opportunities for
students.
• Provide students with cutting-edge training and the opportunity to earn industry
certifications required for high-skill, high-wage jobs in Florida’s target and
infrastructure industries (including healthcare)
15
Broward County Schools Health Science
Broward County partnered with NHA in 2007 to provide students with the CMAA (Certified
Medical Administrative Assistant) as an end of pathway assessment for the Level 3 Health
Science course.
Year
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Campuses offering
NHA Certifications Exams Passed Exams Taken Pass Rate
1
6
6
100%
1
7
8
88%
1
24
29
83%
10
169
184
92%
16
437
481
91%
20
539
566
95%
20
453
759
60%
16
404
571
71%
Instructors were provided an intensive Learning Community to achieve the certification, along
with necessary resources including a textbook, NHA study guide tutorials, and practice test.
Industry certification preparation is infused into the Level 3 course curriculum.
• Why?
• How?
16
CMAA exam update resulted in poor pass
rates
Every 3-5 years NHA conducts a Job Task Analysis (JTA) and updates their certification exam to align
with the most up-to-date job tasks. The 2010 JTA lead to a new exam for the 2012-2013 SY.
As a result of the new exam, student pass rates on the CMAA in Broward County dropped
below 60%
17
CMAA exam update resulted in poor pass
rates
Due to the high volume of students enrolled in the Level 3 health science course and the
sudden drop in pass rates, Broward County established a committee to evaluate program
effectiveness
Throughout the summer the Committee:
• Developed a new Level 3 curriculum cross-walked and aligned with the updated
CMAA test blueprint
• Created rigorous lesson plans including critical vocabulary, role play, hands on
exposure through real life shadowing opportunities.
18
NHA Recommended Steps to a
Successful Implementation
Step
Details
1
Review certification exam blueprints (i.e. content outline).
2
Conduct a gap analysis, ensuring content coverage within the program.
3
Establish best practice certification preparation steps within program.
4
Supplement course with certification study guide and practice assessments
with focused, accelerated, and customizable remediation (offered online).
5
Pass - Student is prepared to successfully challenge the certification exam and
to obtain his/her industry credential!
Step 1: REVIEW NHA’s Certification
Exam Blueprints
…may be accessed online and can be
referenced for curriculum alignment!
20
STEP 2: CONDUCT a Gap Analysis for
Program Alignment
• Review your course/program curriculum + NHA exam blueprint. Seek to –
• Ensure all exam competencies are covered within program.
• Identify any gaps in the current curriculum and adjust curriculum, as
needed.
• Review and incorporate NHA certification preparation resources (i.e.
study guide and practice assessments) as supplementary preparatory
tools for student success – as you deem necessary.
• Certification preparation resources are not a replacement for a
comprehensive curriculum with more robust learning resources.
For example, many medical assisting type programs have been
successful using Kinn’s Medical Assisting textbook.
Tyler ISD recommends providing your students with externship
opportunities. In combination with in-class
.
labs, externships help students to learn by doing. While the CCMA is a multiple choice exam, students
benefit from real world experience conducting EKG’s and live sticks by developing a muscle memory for
those job tasks.
STEP 3: ESTABLISH Best Practice
Certification Preparation Practices
Certification Resources
Interactive and engaging web-based
learning tools, including customized
focused remediation!
22
STEP 3: ESTABLISH Best Practice
Certification Preparation Practices
•
The Focused Review©, which is produced upon completion of each practice
assessment attempt, tailors the review content to a candidate’s performance on
the practice assessment, placing remediation emphasis on components where
the candidate struggled
STEP 3: ESTABLISH Best Practice
Certification Preparation Practices
2 Administer the first ATI Allied Health practice assessment.
o Practice assessment mirrors the NHA certification exam in length and format.
o Administer towards end of the program - between 10-50 days prior to taking a NHA
certification exam. Depends on length and depth of program.
o Recommended that rationales are disabled on first attempt.
o Allow ample time to review weak areas based on initial results, utilizing the study
guide and Focused Review© tool.
24
STEP 4: SUPPLEMENT your program
with NHA certification preparation
3 Direct candidates to use ATI Allied Health study guide tutorials (SGT) and
Focused Review© tool.
• SGTs provide a review of core subjects within test plan.
• Focused Review© • Produced after each practice assessment attempt.
• Tailors the review content to a candidate’s performance on the practice
assessment.
• Customizes remediation with an emphasis on components where the
candidate struggled.
The study guide tutorials may be used as supplementary materials throughout the
course, but leveraging these resources, as well as Focused Review©, in a closer
proximity to the exam date (data suggests within two weeks) can help to keep
tutorial content fresh in the candidate’s mind.
25
STEP 4: SUPPLEMENT your curriculum
to ensure student success using the
practice assessment
4 Administer the last ATI Allied Health practice assessment.
• The last practice assessment should be administered in close proximity to the
NHA certification exam date. Data suggests within 5 days.
• Administering the last practice assessment in close proximity to the NHA
certification exam can –
• Keep the candidate more engaged.
• Reduce test anxiety through increased familiarity with the exam format.
• Improve test outcomes.
STEP 5: PASS! Students will achieve a
nationally recognized credential.
Results:
• Students will receive their results immediately when the certification exam is
taken onsite and online.
• School can manage student results online through our certification portal (i.e.
an online candidate management and reporting tool).
Converting a Provisional Certification to Standard (i.e. “full”):
• A provisional certification expires 12 months after the exam date. It cannot be
renewed or reinstated; rather, it must be converted to a traditional certification.
• Students or school should supply NHA with proof of graduation for their
respective students. NHA will issue a standard certification.
• Certifications are verifiable online, cost-free at nhanow.com.
Industry Awareness:
• NHA certification exams are nationally recognized by healthcare employers.
• NHA has a dedicated Industry Awareness team who educates employers on the
value of NHA certifications!
27
Broward County Schools Health Science
When we compare students at
the same school who followed
best practices to those who
didn’t, we see a meaningful
difference in pass rates. This
concept applies across districts
and states, allowing us to
make assumptions about pass
rates based on practice test
scores.
Certification preparation and other educational resources are offered in partnership with ATI Allied Health. The purchase of ATI Allied Health certification exam
preparation materials or other educational products is not required to sit for any certification exams offered by NHA.
Certification preparation and other educational resources are offered in partnership with ATI Allied Health. The purchase of ATI Allied Health certification exam
preparation materials or other educational products is not required to sit for any certification exams offered by NHA.
Copyright ©2014 Assessment Technologies Institute, L.L.C. All rights reserved
28
Learning Outcomes
o Allied Health jobs are in high-demand.
o Industry certifications are valuable for job obtainment and demonstrate a level of
commitment and competency for the profession.
o NHA promotes quality patient care through the certification of allied health professionals
o NHA partners with educators (secondary and post secondary) to provide certification
opportunities
o Your students may obtain industry certification and be “work ready” upon graduation.
o ATI Allied Health provides interactive preparation material
o Certification Specialists will help schools implement the certification and preparation process
o Campuses nationwide have recognized the benefits of offering their high school students NHA
provisional certification
o The NHA Industry Awareness team is available to contact employers near you to ensure
recognition of NHA credentials
o NHA offers 8 accredited certifications
o Implementation for student success is simple! Please see our best practice
recommendations.
o We share a collective goals. First and foremost, student success!
29
Questions and Comments?
Lyndsey McDonald
978-460-2605
Lyndsey.McDonald@nhanow.com