Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education

PROGRAM EVALUATION PROFILE

*Refer to Specific Recommendations for Improvement

Standard
Met

PROGRAM EVALUATION SUMMARY

The Health Careers program at Canadian Valley Technology Center, El Reno campus, provides students with the solid foundation needed to pursue careers in the health, medical, dental, nursing, or veterinary fields. The studetns receive training in several healthcare ares or specialize in one. Health Careers presents a comprehensive overview of the health industry and gives the studetn the theorectical and practical knowledge needed for providing superior patient care. The students learn to apply their knowledge during clinical rotations in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and other health-related agencies, thereby allowing them to gain invaluable "real-life" experiences.

The curriculum is supplemented with textbooks, learning activity packets (LAPs), professional journals, audiovisual resources, and technical equipment. A variety of teaching methods are utlized; lecture, demonstration, group discussion, case studies, independent-learning activities, compuer-assisted instruction, individualized tutoriong, field trips, sutdent organization activities, laboratory skills practice, and clinical experiences.

The Health Careers A program is for students who are attending the first year of training in health certification careers. Health Careers B is for studetns who have attended the first year of training and are ready to customize sutdies for specific health careers. Health Careers program objectives are based on materials provided by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education's Health Careers Education division.

The scope and sequence of the material is consistent wiht the career and technology education philosophy of moving from the simle to complex in a logical order with each segment building on the previous. The clinical and didactic components are appropriately aligned, allowing for application of the academic instruction into the workplace.

Learning is facilitated using competency-based curriculum materials in the classroom and skills laboratories. Students are encouraged to progress at theri maximum performance. Work-based experiences are provided in healthcare facilities according to student readiness and space availability.

Challenging curriculum prepares a multi-skilled, competent healthcare provider. Adults may enroll full time or part time. Students complete the core curriculum and select one of the following career pathways to study: Dental Assistant, Veterinary Assistant, Nurse Assisting, Home Health Aide, Advanced Unlicensed Assistant, or Medical ASsisting-Clinical. The core curriculum include medical ethics, legal responsibilities, medical terminology, safety, communication, vital signs, job readiness, and CPR.

The program's primary strengths are the tenacity, organization, commitment, and technical competence of the two instructors. They have organized the curriculum on a systematic approach that builds on the skills experience in the lab. Once the skills are practiced in the lab, they are practiced in the clinical area. The curriculum is student centers, with the student participating in discovery learning. The instructors are dedicated to the students and will do whatever it takes to have the students become successful. The program has ample resources and new facilities.

The use of course booklets in the Health Careers B section is commendable. These booklets provide students with exact directions on how to navigate through the materials and outlines what is required for them to succeed in the program.

SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

A written policy addressing exposure to blood and bodily fluids needs to be added to the handbook and provided to each student. This policy needs to be spsecific to the accidents inherent to a clinical situation and the process to follow should the incident occur.

The organizational chart should include the student, with clear lines of communciation depicted between the student and administration.

The application process needs to be included in the handbook so potential students will undrestand how to improve their possibilities of getting into the program.

The instructors need to develop a strategic plan that include curriculum and tehcnology updates, instructional materials, equipment and supplies acquisitions, budget development, partnership utilization, facility renovation, and student organization needs.

The handbook shoudl include information about felony checks and emphasize the fact that individuals who have felonies would not be able to compelte clinical rotations and thus not be able to finish the program. Students in high school may also be asked to have background checks done.

The instructors should work on articulation of students to other health programs in the technology center.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION: <type what you did here: .>

The minutes reflect very few suggestions ahve been given by the advisory committee and do not oindicate whether any action was taken as a result of those suggestions. The advisory committe minutes should include the c ommittee's recommendations, the action items, and the results of the action taken. The results of action taken based on the committee's suggestions shoudl be reported back to the advisory committee. The instructors need to keep a brief log with contact communications noting actions taken as suggestions from the committee through phone calls, personal visits, emails, etc. Each advisory committee member's title and role within the facility where they work should be included on the membership list.

A member of the public who is interested in the educational process needs to be added to the advisory committee.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION: <type what you did here>

The clinical evaluation form needs to be revised to include the parts that evaluate the student's performance and mastery of skills standards and specific clinical objectives.

The clinical facility needs to be provided the opportunity to evaluate the clinical rotations. The Practical Nursing program does this routinely and should have a great form that could be modified.