David Cole, Program Director at Miami Dade College’s Medical Campus’ School of Continuing Education and Professional Development, has only been at his position since October 2015. He is, however, well aware of what his responsibilities are, and has already taken steps to meet them.

 

"Continuing Education does a lot to bolster the mission for health care for this community," he explained, "supporting the professionals in their academic endeavors on this campus, providing education for paraprofessionals, and delivering skillset training for individuals. Part of my job is to look for and close gaps in service, determine needs in the marketplace, find professionals who can develop programs and curricula, and determine if there are areas of expertise in the medical field that we can speak to and develop."

 

Cole talked about one such area, a new class the School recently implemented for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s. He said the Neuroscience Centers of Florida Foundation (NSCFF) works with patients and families who are dealing with neurological disorders like Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and other dementias. They provide clinical and social service as part of their outreach to families. Specialized training was a gap they identified – and Continuing Education is helping them close.

 

"What [NSCFF] discovered from their research, was that no one was showing family members how to care for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia in the home. It’s chronic and deteriorating, but often, those families may not require clinical services, they just need someone who knows how to feed, clothe, transport and interact with their affected loved ones. And NSCFF determined that there was no such training for a lay person."

 

In this particular case, the School of Continuing Education and Professional Development set up the program, and the first class began January 23. As Cole clarified, "The NSCFF identified an inaugural group for the training and paid for the students on a scholarship basis. What we’re providing is the class and the instructor, who we’d also contracted to assist in developing the curriculum."

 

Cole said the School currently has grants for other courses that are being worked on now, including ones for Behavioral Health Tech training and Community Health Workers. "These state-wide grants were initiated within the past two years, to train and develop paraprofessionals in those areas. We’re happy to be fulfilling the grants’ goals to add to the spectrum of those who work in healthcare."

 

He reiterated that the School’s mission is primarily to provide education in the community by offering courses and classes and training to support its academic units, as well as workforce development training. "That’s mostly what we do on this campus; our courses directly train and certify people in their professional and paraprofessional roles. We specialize in workforce education and specialize even further in medical-related programs. So we’re always looking for how can we support these programs."

 

The support is paying off, for as Cole pointed out, "We’re in Florida and we’re in health care, and as such, there is a need for quality health care as people live longer. The increasing demand for nurses is one of the outcomes of this demographic trend. One of our premier programs at Miami Dade College is our Nursing program. Not only are the graduates highly placed, but they are also highly successful when they get placed."

 

He went on to say that Miami Dade is a majority-minority school – and reflects the great diversity of South Florida. "It’s good to know that these students are coming out highly prepared to serve the community. South Florida’s diversity is a microcosm of America’s future landscape. Our contribution, then, is a well-trained, diverse pool of healthcare professionals. This leads to a variety of perspectives and approaches that better serve communities."

 

Cole is in his 25th year serving higher education, having worked at both Florida International University – where he received both of his degrees – and DeVry University. Some of his experience includes program development, enrollment management, and marketing, which is why he was able to make the transition to The Medical Campus of the School of Continuing Education and Professional Development at Miami Dade College. "I take great care that when I take on a role, I’m as prepared as possible so I can ramp up quickly. Our academic partners are depending on our help to support their needs for training and accreditation. Most importantly, our students are relying on our School to deliver programs that support their professional goals. We in Continuing Education and Professional Development are happy, on both accounts, to support the grand mission of this great college.”