Ensuring student success through preparation and national certification

1. Ensuring student success through preparation and national certification With Ascend Learning’s National Healthcareer Association

2. Put your students on a pathway to high quality industry recognized health science credentials • 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

3. Ascend :Learning has dedicated resources specifically to school districts, students and teachers in CTE Skills Assessments Great Content Preparation National Certification

4. The National Healthcareer Association is well known throughout the post-secondary education and healthcare provider industries • 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 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

5. Certifying your students with NHA provides students with a national credential, verifiable by local employers 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 In a recent study of allied health educators, 92% reported NHA's Certification Exams help improve candidate placement rates

6. 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. . 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.

7. The National Healthcareer Association offers secondary students provisional certification in 8high demand fields Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) Certified Patient Care Technician (CPCT) Certified EKG Technician (CET) Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT, ExCPT exam) Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)

8. Eligibility requirements for NHA certifications are straightforward. ExCPT, CPT and CET present specific eligibility criteria. . • 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 Examination for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) Certified EKG Technician (CET) 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

9. Stackable credentials provide students even greater opportunities for employment Clinical Pathway: CCMA 150 Questions Multi-skilled employees in doctors offices CET CPT CPCT 110 Questions 35 Live Sticks 110 Questions 10 Live EKGS 110 Questions Replacing CNA’s in some hospitals

10. Stackable credentials provide students even greater opportunities for employment Administrative Pathway: CEHRS CMAA CBCS 110 Questions 100 questions 21 critical thinking items 100 questions

11. Major Employers Nationally recognize NHA Certifications 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 Nearly 200 employers nationwide require or highly recommend NHA certification for their employees

12. Praise from Scott & White Healthcare “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 HealthcareerAssociation”

13. Implementing National Certification

14. How do you know if your students are prepared for the rigor of health science course curriculum? Educators face a variety of challenges from a student body that might not be prepared for the academically rigorous curriculum • 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

15. The Discover Health Occupations Readiness Test measures basic essentials skills to determine academic preparedness for Health Science career-focused programs • 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

16. Discover is a comprehensive aptitude test that measures general academic preparedness of students entering allied health 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

17. Discover is a comprehensive aptitude test that measures general academic preparedness of students entering allied health programs

18. NHA’s Ascend Learning partners can provide course resources to help prepare students for certification

19. 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

20. Becoming an NHA Testing Site is very easy! • 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

21. Thank you! Lyndsey Hall Career and Technical Education Director, NHA 978-460-2605 Lyndsey.hall@nhanow.com

22. Your Investment in National Certification and preparation

23. Next Steps • 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!