ASSP - Academic Success Strategies Program

Academic Success Strategies Program (continued)

The projected number and types of nurses and other allied health professionals needed in the future can now be realistically planned. The Academic Success Strategies Program will be the major strategic workforce-planning tool for implementation of any future strategy to meet the need for nurses and other allied health professionals.

This ASSP is cost effective for several reasons. Employee/students who become a nurse, and other allied health professionals would not need the lengthy, costly orientation upon assuming their new roles. Also, the healthcare facilities would not have to incur the costs of recruitment. Employee/students who are direct patient caregivers could have their job descriptions and roles upgraded to reflect their increased knowledge and skills gained in their nursing programs. An example would be that a nurse aide that has completed one year of nursing school could be upgraded to a nurse tech and be able to give more skilled nursing care. This will allow the healthcare facilities to utilize their advanced skills and knowledge while they are enrolled in nursing school. Therefore, there is some return on the healthcare facilities’ investment midway or during the employee/students education period.

Most of the employee/students who are internally recruited would come from the non-professional employee group. Because the majority of the non-professional staff is in the lower income group and belongs to minority and ethnic groups, the elevation to professional nurse, and other allied health professionals has the effect of creating more diversity in the professional ranks. Increasing the diversity of the professional staff is one of the goals identified by the American Healthcare Facilities Association Workforce Commision. ¹ The effect of creating diversity and raising the economic status has much potential for getting grant money from government and other funding sources. The investment in their staffs through sponsoring the ASSP will enhance the perception of the healthcare organization as a nurturing, caring employer within the healthcare facilities and community. A healthcare facility that invests in their employees by assisting employees to meet their educational goals, by giving tuition aid, and by creating a workplace atmosphere that encourages and assists employees to become upwardly mobile is a great recruiting tool and public relations idea. The mentoring and tutoring programs would offer other healthcare facilities’ employees the opportunity to participate. This participation encourages employee’s emotional and professional investment in the healthcare facilities’ mission and goals. The effect of helping non-professional staff upgrade their status has the overall effect of raising the economic status of the community. There is also an opportunity to create closer ties to the educational community.

The benefits to employee/students enrolled in the Academic Success Strategies Program while concurrently enrolled in the pre-nursing or nursing classes include the following:

Improves grades
Develops more efficient and productive study skills
Continuously assesses learning behaviors
Improves testing skills
Diminishes procrastination through better time management
Develops relationships with faculty and counselors
Begins preparation to pass the Nursing State Board Examination
Understands more fully the relationship between current class work and improving patient care
Investment in education starts to pay off during the educational period and after graduation
Academic, job, and life goals are more focused
Communications skills improve
Support groups are established
Relationships with spouses, children, instructors, parents and co-workers improve
Increased understanding of employers mission

The Academic Skills and Strategies Course that is a major part of the Academic Success Strategies Program, teaches the skills that will help the employee/student master the program content in nursing/allied health programs.

The Academic Success Strategies Program is built around the learning needs of the employed adult learner. The employee/students who have a job and family responsibilities are shown how to most efficiently fulfill their diverse roles while enrolled in college. The Academic Success Strategies Program will help them relate college work to patient care and their future role as a nurse or other allied health professional. Adult students learn better when they understand how the present learning can be applied in practice.

The Academic Skills Course is taught concurrently with the students’ enrollment in a health program. The skills taught must be immediately applied to their current course work. Weekly self-assessment of learning behavior and skills are done. Students in the Academic Skill Course meet weekly.

Weekly assessment helps the students maintain a focus on their long-term goal but most importantly, helps them plan weekly goals and the strategies to attain them. They will evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and maintain or modify them weekly. Employee/students entering the program in phase two would take a minimum of two years. The most common route for adult nursing students is the two-year associate degree program.

The Academic Success Strategies Program is healthcare facilities based. Students are enrolled in the program concurrently while enrolled in college. There is no duplication of content and services between the Academic Success Strategies Program and the college program. The Academic Success Strategies Program is designed to help employee/student master the college program.

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