You’ve heard about "win-win" situations. But Caregiver Services Inc. has come up with a "win-win-win" situation that should be of great benefit to South Florida.

Caregiver Services, Inc. (CSI) is a leading source of in-home, quality care that enables people to continue living at home. CSI also owns and operates CSI Caregiver Institute, a school in the Miami area that offers a two-week, 75-hour course that trains people to be home health aides.
 
When CSI discovered a need for these services farther north, they stepped in to help meet it. According to Steven Hochhauser, CSI’s Executive Vice President for Business Development, "We heard about a program that was being run by Palm Beach County, a division called the Community Action Program, where the mission was to retrain those who were unemployed and get them back into the work force."
 
He said during its 2009-10 fiscal year, the County identified 600 people who were collecting unemployment, which was draining the County both by money flowing out and by the people not paying taxes. The plan was to have them trained and working by the close of the fiscal year, which ended in September; but in August, only 200 had been retrained and placed. "Once we learned about this," Hochhauser said, "we told them about our school and they got very excited about it."
 
CSI made a proposal to the County and said the course had four requirements for its students: They have to have a clean background in order to be able to work with the elderly; they have to pass a physical and not have any communicable diseases; they have to have liability insurance; and finally, the students have to pass the course. "We said, ‘So why don’t you go through your list (and pick out ones who might be eligible).’ We said if the County is willing to take care of all of that, as well as the tuition for these students, we’ll put them through the two-week course." He added that the tuition is inexpensive, $300 for the two-week course.
 
In return, the graduating students will have certification as a home health aide, and the school guarantees to place the students in CSI’s various nurses registries, which are the licensed agencies that provide services to Seniors throughout South Florida.
 
The County agreed to the idea. Using federal grant money, it paid for the tuition and the background checks. "We also provided (the students) with the application to get liability insurance once they’re placed on a job, and we arranged for a local physician clinic to do the physicals all at one time, so they could be qualified to work the day they graduate."
 
The first class had 19 graduates and Hochhauser said classes can accommodate up to 35. The second class was scheduled to start mid-October. "It’s a great human interest story, and we think we can replicate this over and over again. We believe there’s going to be a waiting list, once people see you can literally be retrained and certified to provide services and placed in two weeks."
 
CSI pointed out that graduates sign an agreement up-front that they will work a minimum of 20 hours per week and up to 750 hours over a six-month period for clients in need through Caregiver Services, but "they have no obligation to work with us fulltime or permanently. As Independent Contractors, they could work for any of our competitors or other health care providers. So we’re not only doing this for us."
 
He added that once a person becomes a home health aide, he or she can take additional courses to become a certified nursing assistant. "And it’s not unusual for some of these certified nursing assistants to go on to become licensed practical nurses or RNs. So it’s a stepping stone for people who are motivated and desirous of changing their lives around."
 
With the potential for many new students joining the program, is CSI concerned about flooding the market with home health aides? No. "The demographics of Florida compared with some other states are such that we have a tremendously large elderly population. So the chances that the supply would exceed the demand would be rare."
 
So as a result of this idea, Palm Beach County wins because it gets out-of-work residents off of unemployment and back to contributing to the community; CSI wins because it has a fresh supply of new talent to provide needed health services; and the graduates win because they have a new career with guaranteed placement.
 
Win-win-win.


With Health Information Exchanges and Regional Extension Centers established, and Meaningful Use, EHR certification, and other guidelines finalized, the nation’s healthcare providers can finally get to the hard work of implementing systems that will be the foundation of healthcare reform. Billions of dollars have been set aside to act as incentives for hospitals and physicians to transform the way they care for patients. But for an economy eager for workforce opportunities, there is an equally great benefit: new jobs.

Widespread adoption of electronic health records is about to cause a massive need for trained professionals. This is because the number of facilities that already have systems in place is quite low. According to a study published in the March 26, 2009, online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, “a very low number of hospitals had adopted EHRs [electronic health records],” and “6 percent of U.S. hospitals had a comprehensive EHR, and an additional 8.0 percent had a basic EHR (e.g., one that included physician and nursing notes available in at least one clinical unit).” Despite these low adoption rates, estimates based on the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Education, and independent studies indicate a shortfall of approximately 51,000 qualified workers who would be required to meet the needs of hospitals and physicians as they move to adopting an electronic healthcare system.
 
Money Magazine has also called healthcare information technology the hottest career in America. According to the publication, this emerging field has the biggest demand and growth potential. It also states “the good news, whether you’re a new college graduate or in mid-career, is that you don’t necessarily need to get a graduate degree to pursue these hot jobs. In some cases, you can take university extension courses to become qualified.”
 
Many institutions, including Miami Dade College’s Medical Center Campus, have already begun making plans to provide these extension courses for students in six priority HIT (Health Information Technology) workforce roles identified by Office of National Coordinator (ONC) in both healthcare and public health practice settings. These roles include: practice workflow and information management redesign specialists; clinician/practitioner consultants; implementation support specialists; implementation managers; technical/software support staff; and trainers.
 
The first program to be offered at the Medical Center Campus will be the Healthcare Informatics Specialist, and will begin in early 2011. The program, which will be 18 credits, will be designed to provide the necessary skills for students looking to maintain EHR systems. For those looking to continue their study, the credits from the certificate program will also transfer into the College’s Health Information Management Associate degree program.


The current nursing shortage, in practitioners and educators, promises to continue to hammer the nursing profession in the foreseeable future.

“All the statistics point out that health care needs will continue to grow and there will never be enough practitioners, according to Maxinee Black-Arias RNC, MS-HRM, MSN, Corporate Director/Dean of Nursing, Florida Career College. To weather the shortage she leads the charter class of 40 nursing students navigating courses to earn an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing.
 
“Nursing continues to be an evolving profession, molded too often by non-nurses with simplistic views of nursing and nursing education. Now, in partnership with educators and health care administrators, nurses must take a proactive role in shaping our future in order to present out-of-the-box academic solutions and student friendly, results-oriented nursing agendas,” according to this hands-on dean.
 
According to Department of Labor statistics the average age of today’s RN is almost 50 which typifies the shifting demographics of graying baby boomers both in the workforce AND the community at large, according to Black-Arias. She is working two pathways to combat the potential future shortage this trend will aggravate. First, in concert with the South Florida Nursing Shortage Consortium, the consortium reaches out to elementary school students with programs like ‘A Day in the Life of a Nurse’ to open their minds to the profession at a young age.
 
“Nursing is an old profession with new, exciting opportunities for tomorrow’s generation and by lighting the fire of commitment at a young age, we can bolster our numbers in the future,” she explained.
 
At the same time, the economics of America are pushing ‘mature’ students back to school. Those whose old career paths have disintegrated or those who are returning to the work force after long absences can find themselves a lucrative and satisfying nursing pathway at Florida Career College – but not without some fear and trepidation.
 
The technology explosion – complete with electronic medical records and virtual nursing – appeals to the youthful student who has grown up with a need for speed in terms of technological advancements and expectations. To that end, the School of Nursing program is prepared with ultra modern facilities, well equipped clinical laboratories accessing current technology, and realistic high-tech simulation mannequins.
 
However, at the heart of the nursing program are the experienced and caring faculty and staff who are dedicated to the professional development of each individual student, no matter their age or background.
 
“There can be no general one-size-fits-all technique,” Black-Arias explained.
 
As a bona fied baby boomer who herself is in the final throes of finishing her doctorate on-line, Black Arias understands the fear technology can give mature students. That’s why the academic program starts DAY 1 with an immersion in technology, supported by on-going tutoring and computer rehabilitation skills until students are not only computer literate but are computer savvy.
 
“The craft of classroom teaching is to present the concept, which the student then broadens with on-line resources and virtual teaching,” she explained, “so computer literacy is key to successful completion.”
 
On the other hand, the mature student brings with him/her a valuable “life” experience that supports the care, compassion and respect a nurse offers his/her patient. Additionally, diverse student experiences and backgrounds promote learning from and mentoring by each other, incorporating stories of their experiences with theories of practice.
 
Acknowledging the compressed timeframes which today’s student brings to class is accommodated by the length of the program (less than 2 years) and the follow-up tracks it can open. Upon graduation from the program, students will be qualified to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become a Registered Nurse (RN) and then enter the workforce. Or, they may decide to take the step toward immediate job placement for financing future education.
 
Recognition of the immediate needs which are at the nature of this nurse student body also requires flexibility in clinical placement. Nursing students complete their clinical rotations in some of South Florida’s premier hospitals and healthcare facilities, and nursing faculty advocate for flexible clinical supervision including days, weekends or evening hours in order to adjust to parenting, part-time jobs or other at-home special needs.
 
The curriculum for the nursing program was developed and currently monitored by experienced faculty in compliance with regulatory and accrediting agencies. Florida Career College’s Nursing Program is approved by the Florida State Board of Nurses, accredited by the Commission of Independent Education, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools and seeking accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.


Nursing education in the 21st century presents a multitude of challenges that may be translated into opportunities. One of the most significant challenges facing nursing today is the decision regarding the basic level of educational preparation of the professional nurse. In 2004, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reaffirmed its position that baccalaureate education is the minimum level required for entry into professional nursing practice. Over the years, there has been significant resistance to the concept of differentiated levels of nursing practice based on levels of educational preparation. The concept of differentiated levels of practice entails that nurses prepared in associate degree, baccalaureate degree and masters degree programs should have differing roles within the practice setting and possibly varying levels of licensure. The AACN identifies differentiated practice as one of the “hallmarks of the professional nursing practice environment.” Agreement on basic preparation of the professional nurse may be the most important action that the profession as a whole can undertake.

Similar to nursing practice, where the expectation is to measure patient outcomes and adopt evidence-based practice, nursing education will be challenged to develop student outcomes and adopt evidence-based education. Passive learning utilizing the traditional format of lectures will be replaced by critical thinking exercises addressing simple to complex situations, independent decision making, and creative problem solving. In addition, faculty will be required to document evidence-based teaching and learning as part of the accreditation process.
 
Access to nursing programs for traditional and nontraditional students will become an even greater concern. Presently, qualified nursing applicants are being turned away from nursing schools because of a shortage of nursing faculty. Relatively few younger nurses are entering the field of nursing education and open faculty positions remain unfilled. The faculty shortage translates into a student shortage which will heighten the nursing shortage. Through collaborative efforts between academia and practice settings as well as private and public funding sources, a solution to this dilemma can be addressed. 
 
Nursing courses that are delivered by distance learning technologies will continue to increase in numbers. Accelerated programs, flexible course scheduling and remote site options will become a standard for the delivery of nursing courses. The virtual patient world could present various clinical case scenarios which would enable students and nurses to learn new skills and update previously learned ones. Faculty will be involved in the progression of the scenario for the purpose of assessing learners’ abilities to respond to changes in patients’ conditions. In addition, faculty will be able to adjust the simulated experience to the learners’ level of expected clinical performance. While the use of simulation is fairly new in nursing education, the technology is advancing and the trend is expected to continue. A challenge for nursing students which is unique to the use of the virtual environment is the process of encountering patient avatars in the virtual environment and interacting with patients who are not physically present. Visibility of patient avatars through a medium may be very different from the live sight, touch and interaction with a patient. The concept of a virtual patient world challenges nurses to utilize technology to enhance nursing practice but not to undermine the importance of authentic presence on the part of the nurse in the context of the nurse patient relationship.
 
The challenges of nursing education in the 21st century will require the attention of the entire nursing profession to work together to develop and insure a desired future vision for nursing.


The U.S. Department of Defense recently awarded Barry University’s College of Health Sciences a $1.2 million congressionally directed grant. Money from the grant will be used to fund a two-year project titled “Surveillance of water sources for pathogen contamination: an approach to provide informative maps for military deployment and humanitarian assistance planning.”

The project, under the guidance of Barry faculty members Dr. Gerhild Packert, Dr. Evelio Velis (co-principle investigators), and Stephen Dunham (project coordinator), will be conducted in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to address military and humanitarian needs to quickly test water for safe use during emergency situations. Barry researchers together with Barry students will be testing how accurate hand-held water test kits are in identifying bacteria and parasites in fresh water. Results of these tests will be verified with advanced laboratory instrumentation.
 
The grant will also provide an opportunity for Barry undergraduate students to participate in field sampling and laboratory testing. These students will receive training on advanced laboratory equipment and learn techniques that will introduce them to potential careers in research, hospitals, and commercial laboratories.
 
“This is a tremendous opportunity for undergraduate students to have hands-on field experience in research. The grant award recognizes the capability of our faculty to contribute to scientific findings that will benefit the Department of Defense,” said Dr. Pegge Bell, dean of Barry’s College of Health Sciences.
 
100% board exam pass rates
The Cardiovascular Perfusion Program at Barry University is celebrating 100-percent passing rates on the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion certification exam for Basic Science and Clinical Applications for the spring 2010. Barry is the only perfusion school in Florida and one of two in the southeastern United States that offers a bachelor’s degree in cardiovascular perfusion.
 
The Master of Science Program in Anesthesiology has also excelled. For the third year in a row, all graduates passed the National Certification Exam and are currently working as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. 
 
New clinical biology master’s program
The Division of Allied Health Professions Programs in Barry’s College of Health Sciences is now offering a Master of Science degree in clinical biology. The program prepares laboratory and allied health professionals for career advancement by providing interdisciplinary educational opportunities, and students can choose from specializations in histotechnology and laboratory management.
 
Barry’s health care programs
Barry University in Miami Shores is the second-largest private, Catholic university in the Southeast. From certification courses to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs, Barry has health care covered. Barry prepares you for a career in health and medicine, with more than 50 programs in a variety of fields, including nursing, podiatric medicine, biomedical sciences, anesthesiology, physician assistant studies, biology, health services administration, emergency medical services, counseling, psychology, social work, occupational therapy, exercise sciences, and more. In addition, Barry also offers a post-baccalaureate/master of biomedical science combination program – a two-year program designed for students of high potential who are seeking a career change by pursuing pre-med and subsequent medical studies.
 
No matter which program you choose, you receive personal attention from distinguished faculty and learn in outstanding facilities that enhance your studies. You gain access to excellent internship, practicum, and externship opportunities that help you excel in the ever-changing health care field. And you learn the importance of serving your community with compassion and respect. Some programs are also designed for working professionals, offering evening, weekend, and part-time options.