The Contributions of Community Colleges to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in by Rural Areas of the Susan M
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Final Report #136 The Contributions of Community Colleges to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in by Rural Areas of the Susan M. Skillman, MS Gina A. Keppel, MPH United States Davis G. Patterson, PhD Mark P. Doescher, MD, MSPH October 2008 October 2012 This study was supported through the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center with funding from the federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration (Grant #5U1CRH03712-06-00). UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE ABOUT THE CENTER ABOUT THE AUTHORS The WWAMI Rural Health Research Center (RHRC) SUSAN M. SKILLMAN, MS, is the Deputy Director is one of seven centers supported by the Federal Office of the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center, of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), a component of Department of Family Medicine, University of the Health Resources and Services Administration Washington School of Medicine. (HRSA). The major focus of the RHRC is to perform policy-oriented research on issues related to rural GINA A. KEPPEL, MPH, is a Research Scientist health care and the rural health professional workforce. in the Department of Family Medicine, University of Specific interests of the RHRC include the adequacy Washington School of Medicine. of the supply and education of rural health care DAVIS G. PATTERSON, PhD, is a Research professionals, and the availability and quality of health Scientist at the WWAMI Rural Health Research care for rural populations, with particular emphasis on Center, Department of Family Medicine, University of access to high-quality care for vulnerable and minority Washington School of Medicine. rural populations. MARK P. DOESCHER, MD, MSPH, was the The WWAMI Rural Health Research Center is Director of the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center based in the Department of Family Medicine at the and an Associate Professor in the Department of University of Washington School of Medicine, and Family Medicine, University of Washington School of has close working relationships with the WWAMI Medicine, at the time of this study. Center for Health Workforce Studies, state offices of rural health, and the other health science schools at the University, as well as with other major universities in the five WWAMI states: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. The University of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Washington has over 30 years of experience as part We would like to acknowledge the assistance of the of a decentralized educational research and service following people who provided valuable input to the consortium involving the WWAMI states, and the production of this report: activities of the RHRC are particularly focused on the needs and challenges in these states. Roxanne Fulcher, Director, Health Professions Policy, American Association of Community Colleges, The Rural Health Final Report Series is a means of Washington, DC. distributing prepublication articles and other working papers to colleagues in the field. Your comments on Anne Loochtan, PhD, RRT, Vice President of these papers are welcome, and should be addressed Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Mercy College directly to the authors. Questions about the WWAMI of Northwest Ohio, and Past-President, National Rural Health Research Center should be addressed to: Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year Colleges. Eric H. Larson, PhD, Director Susan M. Skillman, MS, Deputy Director Carolyn O’Daniel, EdD, RRT, Dean of Allied Health WWAMI Rural Health Research Center and Nursing, Jefferson Community and Technical Department of Family Medicine College, Louisville, Kentucky, and President, National School of Medicine Network of Health Career Programs in Two-Year University of Washington Colleges. Box 354982 Seattle, WA 98195-4982 Randy Smith, PhD, President, Rural Community E-mail: [email protected] College Alliance, Olustee, Oklahoma. WWW: http://depts.washington.edu/uwrhrc/ And from the University of Washington WWAMI Rural Health Research Center, Brenda Hoskinson, Martha Reeves, and Denise Lishner all assisted with information gathering and production of this report. 2 The Contributions of Community Colleges to the Education of Allied Health Professionals in Rural Areas of the United States SUSAN M. SKILLMAN, MS GINA A. KEPPEL, MPH DAVIS G. PATTERSON, PhD MARK P. DOESCHER, MD, MSPH CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive Summary.......................................... 3 BACKGROUND Background ...................................................... 5 Community colleges educate a significant portion of the nation’s allied health workforce (including Allied Health Professions and Rural Communities..................................................... 6 Health Information/Medical Records Technicians, Surgical Technologists, and Dental Assistants, to Community College Allied Health name a few), and because they have a history of Programs and Proximity to Rural educating residents of their communities for local Populations ...................................................... 9 jobs, are important to the economies of many rural Small Rural Hospitals’ Proximity to Allied communities. Many rural areas face shortages Health Community College Programs ............ 12 of health care providers, including shortages Exploring Use of Distance Education to of allied health professionals. Promoting allied Expand Rural Access to Allied Health health career pathways in rural areas through Careers ........................................................... 14 collaboration among community colleges, rural health care employers, and rural community Study Limitations and Directions for Future Research ............................................. 16 development organizations not only supports rural health care delivery but also supports the Conclusions .................................................... 17 important goal of rural economic development. Policy Implications .......................................... 17 PURPOSE References ..................................................... 18 This study’s purpose was to increase Appendix A. Community College understanding of how community colleges Education Programs in Allied Health contribute to allied health education and rural Careers ........................................................... 20 health care by (1) assessing which allied health Appendix B. Community College occupations are most relevant to rural health care Education Programs in Allied Health delivery and can be job-ready after completing Careers: Description of Education an education program at a community college Programs by Profession Type and their and (2) describing where these allied health Proximity to Rural Populations ....................... 27 community college programs were located in Appendix C. Number and Percent of relation to rural populations and small rural Small Rural Hospitals within a 60-Minute hospitals across the United States in 2007-2009. Drive to Allied Health Education STUDY DESIGN AND Programs, by Census Region......................... 64 DATA SOURCES Appendix D. Technical Appendix: This is an ecological descriptive study using Methods—Community College Education data from the Federal Integrated Postsecondary Programs in Allied Health Occupations .......... 67 Education Data System, Flex Monitoring Team, 3 American Hospital Association, and U.S. Census Bureau. and lowest for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers/ Bivariate analyses used ArcGIS and STATA software. Ultrasound Technicians (21%), Nuclear Medical Technologists (12%), Cardiovascular Technologists METHODS (8%) and Electrocardiograph Technicians (2%). The Eighteen allied health occupations that can be attained study found that 55% of Critical Access Hospitals through community college education programs were (CAHs) were within a 60-minute drive to a community identified from among the National Center for Education college program with at least one hospital-relevant allied Statistics’ list of all non-nursing health professions and health education program, compared with 67% of small related clinical sciences programs as being the most (fewer than 50 beds) non-CAH rural hospitals. Access relevant to rural health delivery based on discussions varied considerably by geographic region. Only 3% of with national allied health and education experts: Dental CAHs in the West were within a 60-minute drive to a Assistant, Dental Hygienist, Health Information/Medical Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician community Records Technician, Medical/Clinical Assistant, college program. Occupational Therapist Assistant, Pharmacy Technician/ Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Veterinary/ CONCLUSIONS Animal Health Technician and Veterinary Assistant, Rural communities in many areas of the country have Electrocardiograph Technician, Emergency Medical limited access to a local community college source of Technician/Paramedic, Nuclear Medical Technologist, education for allied health occupations. This is likely Medical Radiologic Technologist/Science—Radiation to be a barrier to recruiting, training, and retaining the Therapist, Respiratory Therapist, Surgical Technologist, health care workforce these communities need. Nearly Diagnostic Medical Sonographer/Ultrasound Technician, half of CAHs and a third of all small rural hospitals do Radiologic Technology/Science—Radiographer, and not have a local education source for one or more of the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician. The locations allied health occupations needed to deliver care in their of the community