Allied Health Workforce and Services Workshop Summary (2011) / Chapter Skim
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6 Education and Training
6 Education and Training
Pages 39-48
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From page 39... ...
of the University of Washington, presented preliminary results from a research project that is looking at access to allied health programs at community colleges and in rural areas. Maria Flynn, vice president of the Building Economic Opportunity Group for Jobs for the Future, described an effort to "grow your own" allied health workers by providing frontline workers1 with on-the-job and classroom training.
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From page 40... ...
McPherson stated that CAAHEP currently accredits more than 2,200 programs across the country in 1,300 sponsoring institutions, including colleges and universities as well as technical schools. CAAHEP accredits programs in 23 health sciences occupations: 1.
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From page 41... ...
In fact, the medical illustrators were the first people to write that particular topic into the curriculum and get it approved." CAAHEP provides a template with which programs can write their own standards, and it was within the standards template that member professions addressed emergency preparedness. "We saw that emergency preparedness was, indeed, an obligation of all people in health careers and all phases of health readiness." CAAHEP also provides training for site visitors.
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From page 42... ...
COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND THE EDUCATION OF ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN RURAL AREAS The RHRC at the University of Washington, with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Office of Rural Health Policy, has been studying • w hy community colleges are important to the allied health work force and to rural communities, • w hich allied health occupations are most relevant to rural areas and can be educated in community colleges, • h ow many allied health programs are (and are not) located within commuting distance of rural populations, and • h ow many small rural hospitals are located near allied health edu cation programs.
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From page 43... ...
But community colleges play a major role in educating people in these occupations. For example, half of all medical assistants in 2000–2008 were educated in community colleges, while 72 percent of surgical technologists and 82 percent of physical therapy assistants were educated in community colleges.
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From page 44... ...
But health occupations education is expensive, and most students need on-site clinical training, which is more difficult to arrange in rural areas than urban areas. Community colleges also must compete with health care institutions and with 4-year institutions and medical schools for faculty, which limits their ability to offer allied health programs.
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From page 45... ...
These costs were attributed to high annual turnover rates, the number of days to fill a single medical assistant position, and the costs related to the temporary employment of medical assistants during this process. The hospital found that a much more cost-effective way to meet this need was to work with a local community college using a "grow your own" model.
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From page 46... ...
In Fall River, Massachusetts, for example, individuals going through the program were earning community college credits without having to take a class in the community college. They had increased confidence and job performance, understanding the "why" and not just the "how." In addition, cohorts of Fall River workers had 100 percent pass rates, and students had the highest test scores in the state of Massachusetts.
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From page 47... ...
Also, emphasizing core academic subjects can help people move in new directions if necessary. McPherson added that community colleges are very aware of the job demand and do adjust their enrollments based on the job markets, assisted by information provided by advisory committees.
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From page 48... ...
Finally, a question about guidance for students who do not know what kinds of programs and jobs are available led Flynn to mention two efforts: a program to train counselors to make them more aware of career opportunities, and a virtual career network for health care that will provide information about education providers and job opportunities. Skillman added that the Area Health Education Centers, which began in the 1970s to help support primary care physicians in underserved areas, have evolved to promote career pathways across the spectrum of the health workforce.
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