ASSOCIATION OF TRIBAL HEALTH DIRECTORSFebruary 17, 2009

Kathy CraftWorkforce Development Coordinator

Alaska Mental Health TrustDepartment of Health & Social Services

University of Alaska

Alaska Workforce Development

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Take Home Message

A great deal of work has been done, we have a strong foundation and it will

grow stronger if we continue to work together.Contact:

Kathy Craft - Kathryn.Craft@Alaska.GovPat Carr – Pat.Carr@Alaska.Gov

Jan Harris – anjch1@uaa.alaska.edu

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Workforce Development Focus Area and Partnership

Alaska Mental Health TrustDepartment of Health and Social ServicesUniversity of AlaskaAlaska Native Tribal Health ConsortiumAlaska Providers – Behavioral Health,

Substance Abuse, Developmental Disabilities, Brain Injury, Seniors

AMHTA Beneficiary Boards – ABADA, AMHB, ACoA, GCDSE

Alaska Native Tribal Health Corporations

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Context

Health care is big business;Shortages are widespread and expensive;Partnerships and collaborations exist and can

be built upon;8% of Alaska’s workforce is in healthcare

(26,500)Workforce continuum ranges from OJT (on

the job training) to Ph.D.

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Workforce Development Coordinator

Shared Institutional Position

• Primary point of contact;• Provide direction and guidance;• Ensure successful accomplishment of project

and initiative goals;• Ensure proper stewardship of public dollars

and accountability for investments made; and• Assist in charting new health workforce

development and career building directions.

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Recruitment & Retention

Loan repayment;Wages and benefits;Alaska Alliance for Direct Care Services; Cash stipends;Psychiatric Residency;Grow Your Own;Area Health Education Centers (AHEC);Vacancy Study; and,Marketing.

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Newspaper ads statewide

Posters

Television commercial

Hosted Elders & Youth Conference Booth

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Newspaper ads statewide

Posters

Hosted Elders & Youth Conference Booth

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Training & Education

Trust Training Cooperative/Learning Management System Geriatric Training and Brain Injury Training

Alaska Rural Behavioral Health Training Academy

Children’s Mental Health TrainingChildren’s Behavioral Health Occupational

Endorsement Certificate (formerly children’s residential aide program)

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Training & EducationBehavioral Health Career Ladder

Rural Human Services certificate - uses cohort model of distance and intensives, tribal employers, elder involvement

AAS in Human Services - available on campus, distance delivered or cohort model

Bachelor’s programs Human Services - on campus in several sites, working on

distance courses Social Work on campus or via distance Psychology on campus

Master’s programs Social Work on campus or via distance Clinical Psychology or Guidance and Counseling - on

campus, working on distanceDoctoral program in Psychology – in Fairbanks and

Anchorage

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Training & Education

Alaska Ph.D. Clinical InternshipBehavioral Health AlliancePeer SupportDisability Justice

Serving cognitively impaired offenders Victimization training and technical assistance

BTKH – Bring the Kids Home (System Change) Cultural attunement training

Credential and Quality StandardsAlaska Workforce Development Conference

Addressing the home and community based services, health and behavioral health workforce needs of Alaska

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DHSS Health Planning and Systems Development Section

 

 Health Care Workforce Key Responsibilities

http://www.hss.state.ak.us/dph/healthplanning 

Contact: Pat Carr, Section Chief patricia.carr@alaska.gov (907) 465-8618

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DHSS Workforce Programs

National Health Service Corps Community Health Aide Training and

Supervision (CHATS) Grant ProgramCommunity Health Aide Certification BoardJ-1 /National Interest Waivers3RNet – national online recruitment website

www.3rnet.orgRecruitment networking - with recruiters

and HR

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DHSS Workforce Training & Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance to individual sites

Hospital Site-to-Site Mentoring & Student Interns

Preceptor & Cultural Awareness Trainings

Workforce Development Conferences and Presentations

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DHSS Workforce Research & Assessment

Provider Survey/Vacancy ResearchSeeking Funding Sources for Workforce

ResearchResearch on Effectiveness of Workforce

Development StrategiesHealth Professional Shortage Area (HPSA)

designation applicationsMedically Underserved Area/Populations

(MUA/P) designation application

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DHSS Workforce Reports

Alaska Health Care Data Book

Physician Supply Task Force Report

Status of Recruitment Resources and Strategies

HPSD Workforce Reports and Reports from Other Organizations posted online at http://www.hss.state.ak.us/primary care/work.htm

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DHSS Workforce Partners

Alaska Dental Action Coalition Alaska Family Medicine Residency Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Assoc. Alaska Primary Care Association Hospitals, health centers, tribal clinics, providers University of Alaska and University of Washington Denali Commission USDHHS – HRSA: Bureau of Health Professions & Office of

Rural Health Policy Other stakeholder groups

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Across the State

University of Alaska Health Programs

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Approach to Health Programs at UA

Internal collaboration across campuses statewide Joint planning and coordination of programs Centers of Excellence concept to minimize duplication Grow Our Own place-committed health professionals for Alaska’s

legacy jobs Partnerships with Alaska health care organizations in

communities throughout the state Wide program dissemination via distance delivery methodologies –

40 UA health programs available in various locations using distance education

Special programs to encourage rural and other underrepresented people to enter health careers Alaska Health Education Centers - AHECs Della Keats/UDOC RRANN and Nursing Workforce Diversity Programs

Studies to track workforce shortages and costs of recruitment – with special attention to regional shortages and rural costs

Development of career ladders and lattices - to allow for stepwise progression to higher level careers

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Health Program Highlights

Recent expansions/additions Nursing doubled in size to more than 220 admitted to AAS

and BS programs per year; AAS distributed to 12 communities

Medicine doubled from 10-20 Radiologic technology to 6 sites Occupational therapy - with Creighton University Distance MSW expanded Rural allied health training via distance delivery

Coming soon Physician Assistant – increasing to 24, program all in Alaska Bachelor’s degree in dietetics and nutrition – via distance Pharmacy – with Creighton University, distance delivered Physical Therapy Assistant – with Whatcom Community

College (also working on physical therapy)

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University of Alaska Health Programs

More than 80 program areas state wide: allied and behavioral health, emergency services, health management, medical office, nursing, primary care, public health, therapies

Over 4000 students at all levels (certificate to doctorate) in more than 250 locations; nearly 1300 completers/year

From AY02 to AY08, 68% more health students

and 66% more health program completersUsing a variety of educational modalities

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UA Health Program Student Locations

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Industry Health Partners

• Industry partners are critical to the university’s health programs; virtually all programs require clinical placements and supervision; partners are included in program advisory councils and planning forums

• Tribal health organization partners include:• Alaska Native Medical Center• Bristol Bay Area Native Health Corporation• Eastern Aleutian Tribes Association• Kodiak Area Native Association• Maniilaq Association• Norton Sound Health Corporation• Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium• Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation• And others….

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An Example: UAA School of Nursing Distributed Programs in Blue

Associate of Applied Science in NursingRegistered Nurse-to-Bachelor’s of Science

in Nursing Science Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing Science –

in Anchorage; ANMC is important clinical siteMasters of Science in Nursing

Education Health Administration Advance Nurse Practitioner

Family NP Psychiatric/Mental Health NP

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AAS Nursing Program Sites

Current:AnchorageBethelFairbanksHomerJuneauKenaiKetchikanKodiakKotzebueMat-SuSitkaValdez

Potential:BarrowDillinghamNomePetersburg

Outreach AAS Graduates ’06-’07 = 39AAS Graduates in Anchorage = 40Bachelor’s Graduates in Anchorage = 113

Kenai

Homer

Mat-Su

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RRANN and NWD

Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives into Nursing (RRANN) – 90 graduates since 1999 Representing nearly 40 communities across the

state Provides outreach and advising, tutoring,

stipends, community building and support services In both pre-clinical and clinical years

Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) – 36 graduates in past two years Serves clinical majors from underrepresented and

academically disadvantaged backgrounds Services similar to RRANN

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Distance Courses Developed for Rural Allied Health Training

Community Health Aide Program:PreSession IIntroduction to Distance EducationThe Adult Learner

Health Care Reimbursement (Billing/Coding):HLTH 100 Medical TerminologyHLTH 110 Professional Skills for the WorkplaceHLTH 132 Administrative Procedures IHLTH 208 Human Diseases HLTH 234 Administrative Procedures IIHLTH 235 Medical CodingHLTH 236 Outpatient Health Care ReimbursementHLTH 237 Inpatient Health Care ReimbursementPSY 101 Introduction to Psychology

Pharmacy Careers:PHAR 101 Introduction to PharmacyPHAR 105 Pharmacology for Technicians IPHAR 107 Pharmacy CalculationsPHAR 111 Techniques in Pharmacy PracticePHAR 115 Pharmacology for Technicians IIPHAR 195 Topics in Pharmacy

Medical Laboratory Careers:MEDT 101 Phlebotomy ProceduresMEDT 195A Phlebotomy PracticumMEDT 102 Urinalysis for Clinical AssistantsMEDT 103 Hematology for Clinical AssistantsMEDT 104 Clinical Chemistry for Clinical AssistantsMEDT 105 Microbiology for Clinical AssistantsMEDT 110 Specimen ProcessingMEDT 195B Clinical Assistant Practicum

Radiology Technology Careers:A101 Radiographic Protection and BiologyA102 Radiographic Practicum IA103 Radiographic Practicum IIA104 Radiographic Practicum III

Dental Assisting Careers:DA 102 Infection ControlDA 110 Dental RadiographyDA 150 Biomedical and Dental SciencesDA 127 Practice ManagementDA 101 Essentials of DentistryDA 160 Materials in Dentistry

Community Wellness Advocate Program:HS 130 Public Health and Injury PreventionHS 131 Role of Data in Injury PreventionHS 132 Managing Injury Prevention ProgramsHS 140 Health PrinciplesHS 141 Organization of Coordinated School Health ProgramsHS 142 Coordinated School Health ProgramsHS 145 Child Nutrition

Direct Services Careers:HS 103 Personal Care Assistant TrainingHS 104 PCA to CNA BridgeHS 105 Certified Nurse Aide Training

Trainee Success Pilot Projects:HLTH 105 Introduction to Health CareersHLTH 107 Certified Nursing Assistant

HLTH 116 Mathematics in Health CareCIOS 150 Computer Business ApplicationsEMS 152 Emergency Trauma Training

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Rural Allied Health Training Project

• Proposed to Denali Commission beginning 2003

• To address Rural Alaska Allied Health Workforce Needs

• Improve Access for Rural Students to University’s Allied Health Programs

• Engage in Close and Ongoing Partnerships with Rural Employers

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Denali Training Project Areas

• Medical Office / Health Care Reimbursement (Billing

and Coding) • Dental Assisting • Pharmacy Technology• Radiography Careers (Limited Radiography)

• Medical Laboratory Careers (Phlebotomist, Clinical Assistant, Medical Laboratory Technology)

• Direct Services Careers (Personal Care Attendant / Certified Nursing Assistant)

• Community Wellness Advocate (Village Health Education)

• Community Health Aide / Practitioner • Trainee Success• Health Sciences (Supervision, Health Education)

• Bristol Bay Health Programs (Faculty/Coordinator)

• Physical Therapy Assistant

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Success

RadTech

Career ladder educational approach allows students to start taking courses that increase their current skill set as a health care professional. Workers can also work toward more advanced degrees in their chosen field.

Distance delivery allows workers to pursue an education regardless of location.

Nina Menegak of Bethel

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AHEC - Another Special Partnership

Alaska’s AHEC Centers are located at YKHC, SEARHC, Fairbanks Memorial, and Providence Anchorage; program office is at the Alaska Center for Rural Health Clinical rotations for health students at many tribal

organizations Kids into health careers programs Continuing education for health professionals working

in rural and underserved areas

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