Ashland

The Portal Learning Community is an integrated curriculum approach to expediting students through developmental classes in one semester while also involving them in college level technical courses.  Portal’s current form is an Ashland expansion of “KTeam” concepts developed within the KCTCS System using a National Science Foundation grant aimed initially at science and technology students.  While the Ashland Portal initiative dates back to Fall 2002, a Career Pathways grant supported expansion of the model to incorporate pre-Nursing and pre-Radiography students.  Life-relevant projects and workplace skills are also incorporated. 
The faculty helps students understand that short-term commitment to the learning community has long-term results.

For more information, contact:

James Schmidt
(606) 326-2096
james.schmidt@kctcs.edu

Big Sandy

Big Sandy Community & Technical College developed unique ways to deliver nursing content to the Career Pathway students by addressing challenges that students face.  These students, for the most part, are employed full-time and work rotating schedules.  The challenge was to identify a schedule that would best accommodate these non-traditional students.
The scheduling options for clinical and theory are described below:
Clinical:
Evenings (2 groups on ‘opposite’ rotations); days (on different days from the evening group); and a Saturday and Sunday group (every other weekend)
Theory:
With the use of Blackboard, all learning modules and theory assignments are posted at the beginning for the entire semester.  Class is held on Tuesday and Thursday from 6pm until midnight during one month.  Also, 5 Professional Days (from 8 until 4:30p) are scheduled during the semester, generally on a Friday.  These days are used to cover a variety of topics.  For example, the first Professional Day utilized personnel from the Learning Center to review test taking skills.   A testing plan has been developed that allows students to schedule exams with any of the three testing centers, in Prestonsburg, Paintsville or Pikeville.  The students decide what time is most convenient for their test as well as determine the content tested.  The only requirement to test is the completion of the assigned learning module. Several versions of each exam were developed to try and eliminate sharing information. 

For more information, contact:

Charlene Carroll
(606) 886-7396 ext. 82815
charlene.carroll@kctcs.edu

Bluegrass

Bluegrass Community and Technical College received a Department of Labor grant.  The grant funds the Bluegrass Regional Advancements and Innovations in Nursing (BRAIN) project, designed to meet the current and future workforce demand for nurses in Kentucky.   The BRAIN project expands the training capacity of BCTC’s nursing program adding facility space, lab equipment, and instruction. The grant also supported the development of a Nursing Student Resource Center that will identify high risk students for tutoring as well as $75,000.00 per year in student scholarships. Nursing classes are offered at worksites, in rural areas, and as dual credit courses in secondary schools.  Advanced training via the development of specialty modules and an apprenticeship program will further enhance Nurse Aide training. Collaborative efforts with secondary schools, the workforce investment board, adult education providers, and industry partners have developed a pipeline for students to enter nursing education programs. In addition, Bluegrass has developed a very strong partnership with their local Workforce Investment Board.  Through that relationship, WIA has provided leverage to cover LPN students’ testing fees, shoes, lab supplies, stethoscope, and scrubs.

For more information, contact:
Carloyn Lewis
(859) 246-2400 ext. 2273
carolyn.lewis@kctcs.edu

Bowling Green

Bowling Green Technical College stated that it has the highest number of Industrial Maintenance Technology students of any KCTCS college.   This is in part, due to their recruitment and retention activities.  They reactivated the Industrial Maintenance Technology program on the main campus to meet industry needs.  They also began more intensive and recruitment efforts in high schools, area technology centers, community organizations, middle schools, and industry.  They have attended job fairs and have sponsored special programs such as luncheons to engage industry partners.  They produced a commercial which airs on local cable stations and placed flyers around various campuses, at local industries, in career centers, and resource centers. 
As a result of their efforts, Bowling Green has increased enrollment by 50% and have been able to retain about 82% of those new students.  In spring 2008, the first 3 Bowling Green Industrial Maintenance students will graduate.  Two of those students have co-ops after they graduate.

For more information, contact:

Silas Matchem
(270) 901-1091
silas.matchem@kctcs.edu

Elizabethtown

Elizabethtown Community & Technical College conducted a Needs Assessment and gap analysis to feed into their Career Pathways planning process.  They developed a survey that addressed the area’s need for healthcare personnel and one specifically addressing respiratory therapy.  These needs assessments updated the research conducted during the initial Career Pathway planning stages.  Northstar (the ECTC Career Pathways partnership) assisted in the survey development.  The surveys were sent out to 54 employers in the 12 county service area. Those employers who did not respond were contacted by phone.  Twenty one survey responses covering 9 healthcare fields were collected.  ECTC compiled the results and shared them with the Northstar partnership who then identified resources and strategies to meet the needs identified by employers.
  To date, the local WIB has contributed to a nursing assistant-LPN pathway and 2 employers have offered their support.  In addition, a Respiratory Care program has been initiated at ECTC.  This program started as a “satellite” of Jefferson Community and Technical College.  ECTC provided the classroom on campus and Hardin Memorial Hospital and the WIB funded a lab located on the hospital campus.  Twelve students graduated from this program in May 2007 and all of them are employed in the respiratory therapy field.  In January 2008, ECTC admitted 15 students to their new Respiratory Care program.
ECTC has developed two Health Careers Workbooks which have been distributed to workforce investment centers, Hardin Memorial Hospital and the Workforce Investment Board.  The first workbook is a compilation of health careers (mainly from the US Department of Labor), program requirements, working conditions, education expectations, expected pay, and job outlook.  The second workbook compiles information about the health careers offered at ECTC.  It includes program contacts, student selection process, and curricula.  In the index of the workbook, there is a listing of additional resources.

For more information, contact:

Middy Judd

(270) 706-8458
mjudd0002@kctcs.edu

Gateway

Gateway CTC wrote a grant proposal to the US Department of Education to develop international business and trade curriculum and an International Business and Trade Studies program.  As a condition of the grant proposal, the college was required to have a partnership with and the support of an international trade association.  Gateway’s Business Career Pathways Coordinator conveyed a meeting with the Northern Kentucky International Trade Association (a department of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce) seeking their support. The NKITA Board voted unanimously to accept Gateway as a partner. Together, Gateway and the NKITA Education Committee developed a survey to identify regional workforce needs and trends and collect quantitative and qualitative data.  NKITA posted the survey online in Survey Monkey, monitored the responses and sent follow-up reminders to their 2800 plus members.  Gateway’s Business and Information Technology Career Pathway Coordinator is now a member of the NKITA Education Committee and is utilizing the committee’s expertise for curriculum input.  NKITA will also help promote Gateway’s international business and trade program to its members in addition to assisting with development of an International Business and Trade Certificate.  If they win the grant, they anticipate beginning curriculum design and professional development in 2008.  The Career Pathway Coordinator emphasizes the importance of building upon existing Business and Industry Services (CED) partnerships to develop Career Pathway opportunities.

For more information, contact:

Doug High

(859) 442-1606

doug.high@kctcs.edu

Hazard

During orientations, nursing faculty advise prospective students about  career pathways and inform the students about  Hazard Community and Technical College programs, i.e. NAA, LPN, RN and baccalaureate nursing opportunities.  Faculty use the Career Pathway map during student advising.
The nursing department has hosted 4-year institutions and area employers to talk to nursing students about continued education as a step in the pathway process.
Additionally, Hazard holds road shows whereby they visit middle schools and high schools in the 5-county area to showcase the Nursing Career Pathways opportunities at HCTC.  All of the college’s technical programs are represented at this all-day event.  Faculty and admissions personnel follow up with students who have participated in the Nursing showcases and express an interest in the pathway.  As a result of the Career Pathways, Hazard has been able to increase enrollment in their nursing program by 20%.

For more information, contact:

Anna Napier
(606) 487-3090
anna.napier@kctcs.edu

Henderson

Henderson Community College is providing an alternative delivery of the CNA to LPN and LPN to RN program to include Thursday and Friday evenings and all day Saturday.  Employers are providing schedule adjustments for the students who are their full time employees, so that work does not interfere with class times and college obligations.  Additionally, clinical tutors are utilized to deliver targeted and individualized instruction.  Clinical tutors are practicing nurses who are more familiar with the day to day routine and patient care in their own facility.  The clinical faculty member still has overall responsibility for the student, but the tutor acts as an expert assistant to the faculty member.  Clinical tutors receive a modest stipend from the college to provide this service outside of their scheduled shifts.  

The CNA to LPN program had a 64% pass rate.  Out of those students who passed, 50% went into practice as Practical Nurses and 50% went into the ADN program.  It is anticipated that 95% of the students in the ADN program will graduate in spring 2008 and have a job placement in Nursing.  The great majority of these students would not have been able to participate in the traditional program because of multiple barriers such as full time employment.  The career pathway at Henderson has provided these students with the ability to successfully continue their education and transition into higher paying jobs.

For more information, contact:

Mary Gilder Wilder
(270) 831-9737
mary.wilder@kctcs.edu

Hopkinsville

In an effort to meet the increased need for qualified allied health professionals, The Hopkinsville Community College Associate Degree Nursing Program will begin admitting twice a year starting fall 2008.  This practice will greatly benefit our students, the college and the community.  Twice a year admission will increase our enrollments by 25 percent, decreasing the cohort size which should increase student success.  Forty students have been admitted and will  begin the program in August.  A second group of 40 students will be admitted January 2009. The nursing program is excited to be able to expand admission opportunities to students in the HCC service area interested in nursing as a career choice.  This practice will enable us to produce more nurses for our local employers and decrease the waiting time for admission into the program.

For more information, contact:

Elwanda Adams
(270) 707-3712
elwanda.adams@kctcs.edu

Jefferson

In order to address the nurse pending population, JCTC reactivated the AHS105 (Allied Health Sciences 105) class in spring, 2007 with 9 students.  This class provides soft-skill training, job shadowing and work referrals to local employer partners, and addresses 3 core competencies: Career exploration, first aid and CPR, and basic medical terminology.  Enrollment has continued to grow, and the course has been fractionalized to accommodate dual credit opportunities for high school students.    The staff and faculty agree that the class is helping meet recruitment and retention goals as evidenced by the enormous class sizes of students enrolling each semester.  The second semester had a 300% growth in the number of students who enrolled.  Additionally, staff meet each semester to continuously improve and modify the course in order to make it more interactive and hands-on.  There are plans to have students meet on site at the different allied health program areas next semester. 

For more information, contact:

Joni Jenkins
(502) 213-2588
jjenkins0047@kctcs.edu

Madisonville

Madisonville Community College has implemented their STAR program (Supplemental Teaching/Accessing Resources).  The 1st semester STAR Integrated Program nursing students are divided onto 9 groups of ten students, each with a faculty/staff coordinator.  The groups meet weekly to identify and plan a strategy to address current problems.  There is a list of resource people that includes both a learning and a reading specialist, a staff person with a clinical psychology background, a financial aid person, the Dean of Student Affairs (to deal with registration problems), an Anatomy & Physiology instructor, the nursing math instructor, and others.   These problem solving/study groups deal a variety of  issues— from time management to trying to assisting students with housing issues.
 The program is not a course requirement, however despite lower attendance rates the coordinators and students felt that the STAR program is a good experience.  In future cohorts, the STAR program will begin shortly after orientation and 2 coordinators will be assigned to each group.  In addition, the program will be peer oriented and strongly recommended to all nursing students.  It is believed that the STAR program has helped increase nursing student retention to over 86.7% for the spring 2008 semester and increase cumulative GPA from 3.06 in fall 2007 to 3.10 in spring 2008.

For more information, contact:
Cindy Miller

(270) 824-1815
cindy.miller@kctcs.edu

Maysville

Given that the Licking Valley Campus of Maysville Community & Technical College is a relatively small campus with limited space, resources, and faculty, the Career Pathway Coordinator has been critical to their success.  This Coordinator fills gaps in administering financial aid, developmental education, student support services, and offers comprehensive management of the pathway. 

The Career Pathway Coordinator provides student outreach and recruitment as well as academic advising for pathway students.  She advises students into program entry points such as Certified Nursing Assistant course, progressing onto the Kentucky Medication Nurse Aid course, including the Licensed Practical Nursing program, and a bridge to the Registered Nursing Program.  The Career Pathways Coordinator advises all allied health students.  This gives the coordinator a chance to meet all students who are interested in the healthcare field.  The Coordinator gives them a list of their options and may give them information on programs the students may not have known about.  The coordinator is listed as their academic advisor and is able to register them for all of their courses.  The coordinator has also been through financial aid training, and is able to assist students with their financial needs.  Scholarship money has been made available to Career Pathways students through anonymous donations, and the coordinator ensures that all students have an opportunity to apply for additional resources.

The Coordinator is involved with the developmental education courses, working closely with the Harrison County Adult Basic Education Center to provide tutoring and testing skills for the Career Pathways students.  The Coordinator assisted in writing a grant to develop the Integrated Basic Education Skills Training (I-BEST) program, which is intended to accelerate remediation through integrating with technical skills courses. The Coordinator also provides support services, and assists the student development office with numerous activities.  The Coordinator assists with the scheduling of the academic classes to improve course coordination for potential Career Pathways students.  The Coordinator meets periodically with the Continuing Education Coordinator to deliver non-credit courses that will help Career Pathways students reach their goals, such as offering CPR and KMA classes. 

For more information, contact:

Jennifer Renaker
(859) 234-8626 ext. 66427
jrenaker0002@kctcs.edu

Owensboro

Meet John, a dislocated worker who earned an Industrial Maintenance certificate from OCTC so he could get a job that would support his family.  John’s instructors, recognizing his skill and aptitude for learning,encouraged him to work toward the next level of credentials after he acquired the certificate.  Since general education courses are a requirement for a diploma and AAS degree, John asked the question typical of technical career students “How will these courses help me in the real world?”  During the summer of 2006, an Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (COM 252) course was contextualized with a manufacturing focus to reach students in OCTC’s technical programs. The course included group discussions, skill practice sessions, and required presentations emphasizing communication concepts and skills relating to manufacturing scenarios.  John registered for the contextualized communications class, but was apprehensive about the value of the course to his employment goals.  Soon after the class ended, he accepted a job at one of the area’s premier manufacturers.  Less than a month into his new job, John visited OCTC to thank his communication instructor for preparing him with the skills necessary to make a successful presentation to his company’s corporate office on a proposed manufacturing process improvement. Since then, English 101 has been contextualized with a workplace emphasis and a healthcare emphasis, and a computer course, COM 252, and a Basic Public Speaking course have been contextualized with a healthcare emphasis.
A total of 15 dislocated worker students finished the piloted Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (COM 252) course with a manufacturing context.  This represents an 88% success rate with the average grade being 92.2%.  These students have since earned more than 36 credentials (certificate, diploma, and/or AAS degree) and are employed full-time in the manufacturing field.

For more information, contact:

Sheri Plain
(270) 686-4436
sheri.plain@kctcs.edu

Somerset

Somerset Community College noted that many incumbent workers need remediation in nursing skills to transition from long-term care into acute care.  Nursing 299, a 4 credit hour class, has been offered in spring, 2008 as a bridging/remediation class for incumbent workers, offering math review, skills review, and student success strategies. 

Additionally, Somerset has been implementing collaborative testing in groups of 2-3 students whereby students take unit exams both individually and collaboratively in small groups.

For more information, contact:

Margy Blankenship
(606) 679-8501
margy.blankenship@kctcs.edu

Southeast

Upon enrollment into Southeast Community & Technical College, all students registered in the Nursing/Allied Health Career Pathway program are administered a Pre-TABE test in reading and/or math to identify remedial needs early in the program.  Those who score below 10th grade level equivalent are referred to the Adult Basic Education Department to utilize the PLATO system. If utilized properly, the students’ scores should increase to the desired educational level.  This should contribute to the students successfully completing the program.  Upon completion of the program, the students are given a Post-TABE test to ascertain the student’s progress.  Graduates should be equipped to enjoy a bright and challenging future. 

For more information, contact:

Ernie Scott
ernie.scott@kctcs.edu

West KY

Currently, West Kentucky Community and Technical College has more than 600 nurse pending students as well as more than 300 pending students in radiography and sonography.  West Kentucky is developing a curriculum shell or core for an AAS in Health Science Technology which will isolate all core general education components for all Nursing and Allied Health programs.  The program is being designed with embedded certificates and numerous entry and exit points and will cross-train students in many health specialties.  In this way, the traditional nurse/allied health pending population will have more academic and career options.  West Kentucky is involving all program advisory committees to discuss this project.  In addition, they are working to bring employer partners together to support the program and provide appropriate compensation for future employees who would graduate from the program.  It is expected that the program will go through the curriculum review committee in fall 2008 and will start in fall 2009. 

For more information, contact:

Shari Gholson
(270) 534-3372
shari.gholson@kctcs.edu