Cathy Franklin-Griffin, Director of Program Services for
the North Carolina Community College Systems. She distributed
literature outlining the North Carolina Community College
System’s Curriculum Standards in the Health Sciences.
All information on the programs can be located at www.ncccs.cc.nc.un
and will be posted shortly on the new website address at www.nccommunitycollege.edu.
Franklin-Griffin indicated that North Carolina is the third
largest community college system in the United States with
49 approved curriculum standards in the health sciences area
by the State Board of Community Colleges.
Franklin-Griffin reported on the most recently approved and
cutting edge programs. These included: the clinical trials
research assistant associate degree program, the cytotechnology
advanced certificate program, the polysomnography advanced
certificate program, and the histotechnology associate degree
program.
Franklin-Griffin stated that the polysomnography and histotechnology
programs have gone to the State Board of Community Colleges
for “future action” in February and will go “For
Action” in March. An anticipated “marriage”
of the biotechnology/nanotechnology and health sciences will
produce new programs of study.
Joint initiatives include HealthCare Works! Coalition: Project
Health; Criminal Background Checks.
Bacon interjected that on March 1, 2005 he attended the Joint
Appropriations Committee of the General Assembly. President
Broad and President Lancaster indicated that allied health
and nursing programs would remain a high priority for the
year. Broad and Lancaster stated they wanted to make it easier
for students to enter into these curriculums. Bacon added
that health science programs are a great way to build jobs
and thus strengthen the economy of the state.
Bacon introduced Dr. Stephen Thomas the Dean of Allied Health
Sciences at East Carolina University in Greenville, North
Carolina. Thomas provided a handout on the departments and
degrees offered at ECU. He indicated that there are nine departments
with 560 students enrolled. Seventy percent of the students
are graduate students with undergraduate enrollment increasing
due to distance learning programs.
Thomas stated that ECU’s Allied Health Sciences Department
would be moving into in a new building on March 20, 2006.
Information for the department is located at www.ecu.edu/ah.
Thomas explained that the Department of Clinical Laboratory
Science was set up as a program for medical and physician
assistant students. The department provides students with
a good background as they go into medicine, especially in
a fallback capacity if they are not accepted into medical
schools or physician assistant programs. Areas of possible
expansion include the molecular and forensic curriculums.
The Communication Sciences and Disorders Department started
an Aud D program. Thomas explained that students can add an
additional year to the Aud D for a Ph.D. degree. In the fall
of 2004, the ECU Speech Pathology department took students
from the University of Alaska who were looking for a Master’s
program.
Thomas added that ECU Health Services and Information Management
Program had grown and became a distance-learning curriculum.
ECU’s occupational therapy program had its first graduates
from the certificate in assisted technology program. The physical
therapy department will be accepting the first class of doctoral
physical therapy students (DPT) this fall and that the physician
assistant studies program received money from the legislature
for a cardiovascular center and will have a certification
in the CD area soon. The rehabilitation studies program will
have an on-line Ph.D. program this fall in rehabilitation
counseling and will open up classes in the spring 2006.
Thomas concluded with ECU Allied Health Program recently
joined several colleges and programs in a research rural community
project to provide experiences for students and to meet the
health care needs of individuals in the community. The university
currently has a PT Clinic.
Lee McLean, the Chair of the Department of Allied Health
Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
spoke next. She provided a power point presentation and distributed
handouts on the existing UNC programs at the university. McLean
geared her presentation on what is new in the Department of
Allied Health Sciences at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill programs. These programs included: the clinical
laboratory science program’s on-line certificate program
for individuals who already are CLS certified starting this
fall; the cytotechnology department’s intensive certificate
program in the molecular diagnostic area; the occupational
science program’s interviewing of faculty for the start
of a Ph.D. program in the fall of 2006; the new DPT program,
the on-line completer degree program designed for students
who are practicing PTs (who had completed an MPT but who need
to do additional course work); the radiologic sciences department
current work on the construction of a consortium degree with
other UNC system universities, the radiologic science on-line
degree, and a new radiologist assistant program.
McLean explained that the rehabilitation counseling and psychology
division had shut down temporarily due to budget cutbacks.
Additional state funds were awarded in last year’s legislative
session specifically for this program with the understanding
that emphasis of training would be on preparing counselors
who have skill relating to the support of people with mental
disabilities and mental disorder. McLean indicated that classes
in this program would start this fall. She added that the
speech and hearing sciences program is presently in the third
year of it’s Ph.D., and Au. D programs, and has a new
on-line certificate program in auditory learning financed
by the Alexander Graham Bell Grant funds.
Bacon introduced Sylvia Flack, the Dean of the School of
Health Sciences at Winston Salem State University. Flack indicated
that Winston-Salem State University has an Internet program
for MLT’s. The university’s physical therapy program
is a Master’s program with the prospect of transitioning
into a DPT. The occupational therapy program will transition
in the fall to a Master’s program. WSSU also offers a
therapeutic recreational program and an exercise science and
rehabilitation services program, which began in 2004. Flack
added that WSSU has 500 students enrolled in allied health
programs.
Flack indicated that WSSU is unique due to its many articulation
agreements with community colleges, traditional colleges,
and universities. Baptist Hospital had recently provided WSSU
with 4.3 million dollars to accelerate their nursing program.
WSSU’s Community Health Education Program will start
this fall and will be a feeder for the occupational and physical
therapy programs. A pharmacy program will start in the fall
of 2006. Flack stated she is presently working with McLean
and Renner on the radiological science distance education
program.
Flack indicated that the challenges and issues with new the
creation of new programs include finding faculty, placement
of students, facility space, and funding.
Bacon introduced Dr. Karen Lunnen, Head of the Physical Therapy
Department at the Western Carolina University. Lunnen reviewed
the status of allied health programs at WCU. Programs with
highly competitive admissions and capped enrollment include
athletic training (BS); communication disorders (MS); and
physical therapy (MPT). Programs with strong enrollment include
nutrition and dietetics (BS and internship); environmental
health (BS); emergency medical care (BS); gerontology (an
18-hour certificate program at undergraduate and graduate
levels); and the master of health science (MHS) with concentrations
in nutrition, management, environmental health, education
and gerontology. Two chronically under-enrolled programs have
experienced recent growth; clinical laboratory science because
of a new forensics minor and health information management,
which currently has a capped enrollment of 16.
Lunnen indicated that WCU new programs consist of a bachelor’s
degree in athletic training; a gerontology certificate program
at the undergraduate and graduate level; a forensics minor
in the clinical laboratory sciences program; and the health
systems administration bachelor’s degree, which commences
this fall. Lunnen stated that several of the health science
programs and the engineering department are collaborating
on the design of adaptive equipment devices. The physical
therapy department has requested formal approval to plan both
an entry level (pre-professional) and transitional (post-professional)
Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. She added that WCU had
received funding from KB Reynolds for their Human Movement
Science Laboratory.
New programs under consideration at WCU include a consortium
in radiologic science, respiratory science, occupational therapy,
and a high-level health information management degree. On-going
issues are availability of space, construction funding, student
recruitment, clinical placement sites, and faculty recruitment
and retention.
Tom Connelly, Dean of Cabarrus College of Health Science
in Concord, North Carolina reported that Cabarrus initiated
its CT MRI sequence this past January. The program is geared
for currently employed students. The MRI program starts in
the fall 2006 with the plan to build into a bachelor completion
program in imaging.
The definitive plan for the graduate program will include
using up to 15,000 square feet of unused space at Cabarrus
College’s new facility for graduate education. This space
will be part of the large continuing education teaching and
will allow their Educational Enhancement Center to offer more
workshop and seminar type programs.
Cabarrus graduate program will concentrate on clinical education
in nursing and in the area of faculty education. The college
is focusing on the critical shortage of faculty in the allied
health area and in nursing and will use these areas as part
of a two-prong thrust for a master’s program.
Bacon introduced Joy Renner, the director of Radiologic Science
Division, DAHS, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. Renner gave a power point presentation entitled: Distance
Learning BS Degree Consortium Program in Radiologic Science:
Update. Renner said that research from the American Society
of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), American Registry of Radiologic
Technologists (ARRT), and the Sheps Center report on radiologic
science workforce data formulate the idea of a plan of how
to offer a baccalaureate level education for Radiologic Science
professionals. This BS degree would be part of a consortium,
and would not be an entry level BS, but a BS completion degree
for individuals who are already RTs.
Renner stated that this BS degree consortium would develop
a statewide network and encourage radiologic technologists
to stay in North Carolina because of the educational opportunities
available. The consortium provides a support and resource
group to career minded RTs. The intent of the consortium would
be to get individuals into master programs, then into faculty
programs, and eventually into Ph.D. programs. The goal of
the consortium would be to build a base for individual who
are career minded and want to stay in the state. Each institution
would establish admissions criteria. Renner added that consortium
discussions with East Carolina University, Western Carolina
University, UNC-Charlotte, Winston-Salem State University
(and soon with Appalachian State University) had already commenced.
Renner added that the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill is developing a radiologist assistant post-baccalaureate
professional certificate for the fall of 2005. It will be
a distance education program with on-campus components.
Renner’s power point presentation on the BS degree in
Radiologic Science from the UNC System consortium can be found
on the Council of Allied Health in North Carolina’s website
at http://www.alliedhealthcouncilnc.org.
