Emerging Issues in Health
Career Education
American Association for Community Colleges
Annual Conference
Boston, Massachusetts
April 11, 2005
Panel of Presenters
 Barbara R. Jones, PhD,
Dean of Arts and Sciences
 Louisiana Delta Community College, Monroe, LA
 Janell, Lang, EdS
 Dean, Health Technologies Division
 Owens Community College, Toledo, OH
 Carol Miller, PhD
 Director, School of Allied Health Technologies
 Miami Dade College/Medical Center Campus
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Goal
 To provide participants with solutions to
address current emerging issues when
planning and delivering health career
programs in community colleges
Allied Health Education
~ Issues
 Increased demand for some Allied Health programs
Instructional space limitations
 Limited facility/clinical sites
 Funding for high cost programs – faculty, equipment,
technology
 Decreased availability of some Allied Health programs
 Declining enrollments for some programs
 Funding issues - high cost, low enrollment programs have
been closed
 Difficulty recruiting and retaining applicants
 Faculty
 Educational workforce (faculty) are aging and retiring
 Faculty seeking higher salaries
 Accreditation Regulations (i.e., JCAHO, OSHA, CAAHEP,
NAACLS, CAPTE, etc.)
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Presentation Overview
 JCAHO Regulations pertaining to Criminal
Background Checks of Faculty and students
 Increasing Health Career Program Access
and Capacity
 Collaborative Efforts for Delivery of Health
Career Programs
 Health Career Education Organizations
 Overview on the Status of the Allied Health
Reinvestment Act
JCAHO
Criminal Record
Background Checks
Carol Miller, PhD
Director, School of Allied Health Technologies
Miami Dade College/Medical Center Campus
Carol.miller@mdc.edu
Criminal Background Checks
 What is driving this effort?
 How are educational institutions addressing
this need?
 Challenges associated with implementation
 Determining the guidelines for applicants
Health Care Programs Monitor:
 State Laws
 JCAHO Standards
 Individual hospital policies
Increasing
Health Career Program
Access and Capacity
Janell Lang,EdS
Dean, School of Health Sciences
Owens Community College, Toledo and Findlay, OH
janlang@owens.edu
An Even Greater Need…
 The “tipping point” in health care in America:
the point at which a crisis can become a disaster.
 Over 600,000 nursing positions
will be open by 2012. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
 Allied Health: An Even Greater Need.
Health Information Technology
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Medical language experts who interpret, process, store, and
retrieve health information.
Employment is projected to increase by
47% by 2012. (BLS)
Specializations include:
• Coding
• Billing
• Reimbursement
• Transcription
Cancer Information Management
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Cancer registration is the basic method by which information
about the incidence, type, extent of disease at time of
diagnosis, treatment methods used and survival rates is
systematically collected.
Laws:
• Cancer Registry Amendment Act (Public Law 103-515) 1992
• State Laws: 1993
Medical Laboratory Technology
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Genetics
Stem Cell Research
Forensics
Cellular structure, chemical composition and functions of
normal and abnormal tissue and the skills to prepare, fix,
process, embed, section, and stain tissue.
Computer technologies and base line analyses.
Fields in Homeland Security
 Paramedic
to
RN Bridge
Program
 Food Safety
Opportunities:
Short Term Programs
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Certified Nursing Assistant
Home Health Aide
Sterile Processing
EKG
Phlebotomy
Opportunities:
One Year Certificate Programs
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Practical Nursing
Polysomnography
Medical Coding
Medical Billing
Medical Reimbursement
Medical Transcription
Opportunities:
Postgraduate Programs
 Computed Tomography
(CT)
 Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI)
 Mammography
Expanding Program Capacities
More Challenges
 Health career education programs are
expensive to develop and create
 Funding for higher education has been cut in
many states in recent years
 Legislatures are reluctant to approve
differential tuition for high cost programs
 Accreditation/Licensure issues
 Lack of qualified faculty
 Lack of clinical sites and training space
Expanding Program Capacities
More Solutions
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Distance Learning
Grant Opportunities
Ohio Learning Network
Saturday and Sunday clinicals
7P-&A clinicals in specialty areas
More community-based clinical education sites
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Spina Bifida and MDA summer camps
The Giving Tree
 Utilization of college-based clinical sites
 Disability Services
 Health Centers
 Transition to Independent Living Skills Project
Collaborative Efforts
for Delivery of
Health Career Programs
Barbara Jones, PhD
Dean of Arts and Sciences
Louisiana Delta Community College
Monroe, LA
bjones@ladelta.cc.la.us
Why Collaboration?
 Limited funding
 Limited physical
resources
(i.e., space, equipment,
technology)
 Limited faculty
 Accreditation/regulations
 Use of available
expertise and
established programs
and resources
Institutional Partnerships and
Collaborations:
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Employee/faculty sharing
Sharing of Classroom and Clinical space
Student tuition stipends or reimbursements
Equipment sharing
Grants for program development
Funds for faculty salary or program support
Endowments
Continuing education
Collaborations
 Develop collaborations at the institutional,
local, state, and federal level to:
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Increase funding/off-set costs
Increase supply of students in the health
career education “pipeline”
Participate in development and best practices
research
Increase and improvement of health care
delivery to meet community needs
Collaborations - Local
 Medical facilities - institution
 Faculty sharing
 Classroom/clinical space
 Distance learning
 Funding
 Stipends
 Endowments
 Equipment Donations
 Medical Centers
 Vendors
 Other
 Tech Prep
 Local AHEC
Collaborations - State
 Higher Education: Institution - institution
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Distance Learning
Remote site programs
 Incumbent Worker Training Programs
 Health Care Workforce Boards
Collaborations - Federal
 National Health Systems (i.e., HCA)
 Workforce Investment
 HRSA - Allied Health Project Grants
 Nursing Reinvestment Act
 Proposed Allied Health Reinvestment Act
Health Career Education Professional
Organizations for Two-Year Colleges
 Health career
educational
organizations
provide
opportunities for
networking, sharing,
and collaborating
 The purpose of the National Network of
Health Career Programs in Two Year
Colleges is to promote and encourage
innovation, collaboration, and communication
among two-year colleges sponsoring health
career programs.
 The National Network is an organization of
health education leaders from across the
nation from two-year colleges dedicated to:
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Promoting and encouraging innovation,
collaboration, cooperation, and communication
with two-year colleges sponsoring health career
programs
Developing new leaders in health career
education
Expressing and advocating the interests of health
career programs in two-year colleges (i.e.,
accreditation issues, practice issues, federal policy
issues, etc.)
 For information
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Executive Director
Cullen Johnson
714 Harsh Road
Marblehead, OH 43440
Phone: 1-800-592-1299 pin# 50
Email: texascj@bright.net
http://www.nn2.org
National Organization for Associate
Degree Nursing (N-OADN)
 N-OADN is the leading advocate for
associate degree nursing education and
practice, and promotes collaboration in
charting the future of health care education
and delivery.
National Organization for Associate
Degree Nursing (N-OADN)
 N-OADN strives to
 Maintain eligibility for registered nurse licensure for
graduates of associate degree nursing programs.
 Educate students and promote AD nursing programs at
community colleges nationwide.
 Provide a forum for discussion of issues impacting AD
education and practice.
 Develop partnerships and increase communication
with other professional organizations.
 Increase public understanding of the role of the
associate degree nurse.
 Participate at national and state levels in the formation
of healthcare policy.
 Facilitate legislative action supportive of the goals of NOADN.
National Organization for Associate
Degree Nursing (N-OADN)
 For information:
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Executive Director
Belinda E. Puetz, PHD, RN
7794 Grow Drive
Pensacola, FL 32514
Phone: (850) 484-0514
Fax: (850) 484-8762
Email: bepuetz@puetzamc.com
http://www.noadn.org
Other Organizations
 American Association of Community Colleges
(AACC) – Nursing and Allied Health Initiative
 Area Health Education Centers (AHEC)
 Health Resources and Service Administration
(HRSA)
 Accrediting Agencies (CAAHEP, NAACLS,
CAPTE, etc.)
 Health Professions Network
American Association of
Community Colleges (AACC)
 American Association of Community Colleges
(AACC) – Nursing and Allied Health Initiative
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Roxanne Fulcher
Director, Health Professions Policy
202-278-0200, ext. 274
email: RFulcher@aacc.nche.edu
Allied Health Reinvestment Act
 Senate Bill 473
 Sponsors: Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jeff
Bingaman (D-NM) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
 More co-sponsors needed
Purposes of this bill:
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Public service announcements
Increasing educational opportunities
Expanding enrollments in related programs
Enhancing workforce through retention
programs
 Developing retention strategies
 Expanding centers of excellence
 Developing clinical education
 Supporting State/Local campaigns
Important Legislative Action Needed
 Watch
 Communicate
 Act
Questions and Answers
Emerging Issues in Health
Career Education
American Association for Community Colleges
Annual Conference
Boston, Massachusetts
April 11, 2005