ensuring student success through preparation and national certification with ascend learnings...
TRANSCRIPT
Ensuring student success through preparation and national certification
With Ascend Learning’s National Healthcareer Association
• Ascend Learning introduction and background
• What is the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)?
• National certifications for High School students
• Employer recognition
• Pre-pathway assessment
• Implementation and how to certify your health science students
Put your students on a pathway to high quality industry recognized health science credentials
Ascend :Learning has dedicated resources specifically to school districts, students and
teachers in CTE
Skills Assessments
Great Content
Preparation
National Certification
• Certification organization since 1989
• Offers 10 Allied Health National Certification exams based on job task analysis
• Nearly 400,000 certification holders nationally
• Committed to patient safety and quality patient care
• Certifies students, graduates, and current health care professionals
The National Healthcareer Association is well known throughout the post-secondary education
and healthcare provider industries
• Develops exam preparation and student success resources
• Allied Health program admissions assessments
• Interactive, web-based learning tools• Focused remediation• Learning strategies• Utilize NHA examination blue prints• Professional development available to
ensure teacher and student success
NHA’s certifications help students get jobs, and help schools meet Perkins requirements
•End-of-pathway assessment for “career ready” students
•Proves level of knowledge and competency
•Improves student confidence
•Enhances student resume
•May result in higher pay and career advancement
Certifying your students with NHA provides students with a national credential, verifiable by
local employers
In a recent study of allied health educators, 92% reported NHA's Certification Exams help improve candidate
placement rates
In a recent study of allied health educators, 92% reported NHA's Certification Exams help improve candidate
placement rates
The National Healthcareer Association offers national certification attainable by students prior
to high school
Case Study: Broward County Schools
Florida’s Medical Academy model prepares students for state approved, nationally recognized industry certifications.
Enrollment in the Health Sciences Pathway has grown since the incorporation of a national certification. Students are required to utilize preparation material and practice assessments as a course grade.
Broward County’s Health Science Program has expanded into 18 campuses and will grow to include 5 more high schools during the 13-14 school year.
Case Study: Broward County Schools
Florida’s Medical Academy model prepares students for state approved, nationally recognized industry certifications.
Enrollment in the Health Sciences Pathway has grown since the incorporation of a national certification. Students are required to utilize preparation material and practice assessments as a course grade.
Broward County’s Health Science Program has expanded into 18 campuses and will grow to include 5 more high schools during the 13-14 school year.
..High school campuses throughout the United States such as Laredo United, and Broward County Schools are offering an NHA certification to their students at the
end of their health science course. Districts are now considering providing stackable credentials to enhance their students employability upon graduation.
The National Healthcareer Association offers secondary students provisional certification in 8
high demand fields
Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA)
Certified Patient Care Technician (CPCT)
Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)
Certified EKG Technician (CET)
Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT, ExCPT exam)
Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS)
Eligibility requirements for NHA certifications are straightforward. ExCPT, CPT and CET present
specific eligibility criteria. .
Examination for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT)
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
Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)
Certified EKG Technician (CET)
Stackable credentials provide students even greater opportunities for employment
Clinical Pathway:
CPT CET
CCMA
CPCT110 Questions35 Live Sticks
110 Questions10 Live EKGS 110 Questions
Replacing CNA’s in some hospitals
150 QuestionsMulti-skilled employees in doctors offices
Stackable credentials provide students even greater opportunities for employment
Administrative Pathway:
CMAA CEHRS CBCS
110 Questions 100 questions21 critical thinking items
100 questions
Johns Hopkins recognizes and requires NHA credentials for the entry level allied health
employees.
• Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Mayo Clinic• WalMart Pharmacies• American Red Cross• MD Anderson• University of Chicago Medical Center• Scott and White Healthcare
Major Employers Nationally recognize NHA Certifications
Nearly 200 employers nationwide require or highly recommend NHA certification for their employees
“A nationally certified candidate can earn anywhere from fifty cents to over several dollars more per
hour.”
“For the Allied Health positions that we require nationally certified employees, we recognize credentials from the National Healthcareer
Association”
Praise from Scott & White Healthcare
Implementing National Certification
• Students are not prepared for allied health programs
– Math and science educational background is not sufficient
– Reading is difficult for many ESL students
– Many students have been out of the educational environment for some time
• Recruiting, screening, and admitting students costs schools time and money – students are struggling and drop-out rates remain high
• Schools face increasing accreditation, regulatory, and competitive pressure for improved completion and placement rates
• There is mounting pressure on educators to provide early assessment and remediation, with few good resources available
Educators face a variety of challenges from a student body that might not be prepared for the
academically rigorous curriculum
How do you know if your students are prepared for the rigor of health science
course curriculum?
• Multiple choice questions covering the core academic domains of
– Reading Comprehension– Mathematics– Science– English and Language Usage
• A composite score is calculated and aligns with a number of allied health careers
The Discover Health Occupations Readiness Test measures basic essentials skills to determine
academic preparedness for Health Science career-focused programs
• Only standardized assessment specifically designed for allied health applicant population
• Ensures consistent, objective measures for allied health applicants
• Identifies student academic strengths and weaknesses and provides customized remediation tools
• Enables schools to guide students to the career path that best suits their competencies
• Suited for diploma and associates degree programs
Discover is a comprehensive aptitude test that measures general academic preparedness of
students entering allied health programs
Discover is a comprehensive aptitude test that measures general academic preparedness of
students entering allied health programs
NHA’s Ascend Learning partners can provide course resources to help prepare students for
certification
ATI Allied Health Study Guides can be used to prepare for NHA certifications
Practice exams can be used as a diagnostic to tailor course content
and as a final exam to assess readiness for the certification exam
Individualized report details topics for review
Assessment contains rationales explaining correct and incorrect answers
Can be accessed 5 times with each purchase
Online assessment can be accessed from any internet connection- ideal for practice at home or in the classroom
www.atialliedhealth.com
• A Site Application should be completed by each campus along with– Proof of state approval to operate– Tax exempt certificate– Testing center attestation– Terms of Use
• Whomever will proctor the NHA exams will complete online proctor training
• Instructor will select testing date and tell NHA certification specialist
• NHA will open online student registration• Students create a candidate profile and register for their exam
through the NHA website
www.nhanow.com
Becoming an NHA Testing Site is very easy!
Product Cost
Certification Study Guide $40.00
Certification Practice test $25.00
ExCPT, CPT, CET, CMAA, CBCS, CEHRS certification exams
$105.00
CCMA and CPCT Certification Exam $149.00
Your Investment in National Certification and preparation
• Individual meetings, phone calls to discuss your local needs and participating industry partners.
• Complete Site Applications and submit NHA approval paperwork (Lyndsey can send via email)
• Certification specialist introduction and one-on-one instructor training
• Proctors register
• Identify testing dates
• Students register and take exam!
Next Steps