On November 13, 2015, the Healthcare Careers Program held the first of its kind, Student Alumni Advisory Event. Thirty three students toured the new facility, learned about new programs currently offered (and programs planned to be offered), and provided input on future programming recommendations.
Program faculty met with former students and learned about students' current employment and educational pursuits. Kathy Campbell, the Program Director of the Nurse Assistant Training Program, learned that SDCE students are working at many healthcare organizations throughout the San Diego region including:
- Balboa Nursing and Rehabilitation
- Friendship Manor
- Golden Hills Subacute and Rehabilitation
- Golden Living- Point Loma
- Kearny Mesa Nursing Center
- La Jolla Nursing Services
- Lemon Grove Nursing and Rehabilitation
- LifeHouse-San Diego Healthcare Center
- Maximum Health Care
- PACE
- Reo Vista Healthcare Center
- San Diego Post-Acute Rehabilitation
- Scripps Hospitals
- Sharp Hospitals
- St. Paul’s McColl’s Health Center
- Stanford Court, Villa Rancho Bernardo
Vickie Taylor, the Program Chair, joined Kathy Campbell at the event so both could take full advantage of the opportunity to survey former students, which helped determine preferred scheduling and programming options for the new spring courses that are in the planning stages. These new courses will be offered through the Community Education program (low fee classes for personal and professional enrichment) and will provide SDCE graduates and the greater healthcare community with in-demand Continuing Education Units (CEUs), which are required and endorsed by the California Department of Public Health for Certified Nurse Assistants and Home Health Aides in order to maintain their certifications.
These new classes will be offered on Friday mornings by adjunct and contract faculty in the current SDCE Healthcare Careers Program. This is a much needed, affordable resource for our hardworking graduates who need to earn 48 CEUs every two years to maintain their professional certifications.
The student alumni advisory event was very worthwhile and faculty agree the event should be repeated annually. The event was made possible by using funding from the California Community Colleges State Chancellor’s Office through the Career Technical Education Enhancement Grant.