Community college nursing and allied health education programs, and Iowa's healthcare workforce

Abstract

Programs that prepare students for specific occupations at the pre-baccalaureate level. Usually this is an associate degree, diploma, or certificate program. Career Cluster: A system of grouping educational programs into 16 clusters for the purposes of integrating academic and occupational skills. The system was developed by the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium. The clusters are: (1) Agriculture and Natural Resources; (2) Construction; (3)] Manufacturing; (4) Logistics, Transportation and Distribution Services; (5) Information Technology Services; (6) Wholesale/Retail Sales and Services; (7) Financial Services; (8) Hospitality and Tourism; (9) Business and Administrative Services; (10) Health Services; (11) Human Services; (12) Arts and Communication Services; (13) Legal and Protective Services; (14) Scientific, Technical, and Engineering Services; (15) Education and Training Services; and (16) Public Administration/Government Services. Classification of Instructional Program (CIP): A taxonomic scheme that supports the accurate tracking, assessment, and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity in postsecondary education (U.S. Department of Education). Completer: Individual who has successfully completed a community college degree, diploma, certificate, or other credit program. Contact Hour: Unit of time used in calculating college credit. One contact hour typically equals 50-60 minutes. Certificate: An award issued by a college upon satisfactory completion of a course of study that is intended to award a diploma or degree.

Examining Noncredit Workforce Training Programming at Kirkwood Community College: A New Conceptual Model for Measuring Student Motivations and Perceptions of High Quality Job Attainment

“…Measures currently utilized to document Iowa's community college educational system return on investment largely relate to students' increased earning power and salary mobility. These state studies have concentrated on the effects of credit certificates, diplomas, and associate's degrees by program area, career cluster, or geographic employment distribution and have presented a clear account of the benefits of community college education (Compton, 2008;Laanan, 1998;Laanan, Compton & Friedel, 2006;McLaughlin, 2009;Paulsen, 1998;Stoick, 2004).…”

“…Measures currently utilized to document Iowa's community college educational system return on investment largely relate to student's increased earning power and salary mobility. These state studies have concentrated on the effects of credit certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees by program area, career cluster, or geographic employment distribution (Compton, 2008;Laanan, Compton, & Friedel, 2006;McLaughlin, 2009;Stoick, 2004 (Heinrichs, 2003;Miles, 2006). Other measures utilized to demonstrate the successful outcome of the participant include the quality of job post-placement; the ability to retain employment; the participant's optimism; the benefits such as paid vacation, health care, and sick leave that the job provides; and the work consistency of the participant (Conway et al, 2007;Miles, 2006).…”