2008 Annual Report of Program Data Coversheet
College: Kapi'olani Community College
Program: Radiologic Technology Program
Check All Credentials Offered / AA / AS / ATS / AAS / CA / CC / COM / ASCX
College Mission Statement (or provide link)
http://www.kcc.hawaii.edu/object/kccmissionstatement.html
Program Mission Statement (or provide link)
The mission of the Radiologic Technology program at Kapi'olani Community College is to provide graduates with the entry-level skills and knowledge necessary for performing the tasks of a radiologic technologist in imaging centers, hospitals, clinics, and radiologists' offices and group practices. Further, as the only such program in Hawaii, it is the mission of this program to provide qualified radiologic technologists for the healthcare workforce in the state of Hawaii.
OVERALL PROGRAM HEALTH (Check one)
Healthy / Cautionary / Unhealthy
X
Part II. Analysis of the Program (strengths and weaknesses in terms of demand, efficiency, and effectiveness based on an analysis of the data)
The Radiologic Technology program continues to graduate qualified, skilled students who are well-prepared for employment as an entry-level technologist in any imaging facility. Since 2003, 100% of graduates have passed the national certification on their first attempt, and employment rates have been high. Since 2004, only two graduates of the ninety-three graduates actively seeking employment following graduation were not employed within six months of graduation. This data contradicts the positions versus majors calculation attached which indicates demand as unhealthy. Employer surveys document overall satisfaction with KAPCC’s Radiologic Technology program graduates. In addition, Graduate surveys also document overall satisfaction with their training in the Radiologic Technology program at KAPCC.
Student demand for the program continues to exceed available openings; the program consistently accepts 20 students from the general pool, and five students under the Neighbor Island Special Admissions pool of applicants (from the islands of Kaua’i, Maui, and Hawai’i). The applicant pool for the Fall 2007 entry consisted of 80 applicants in the general pool, and 13 applicants in the Neighbor Island Special Admissions pool. The Program’s admissions selections is still based on a best qualified, first accepted point system. Salaries remain high on all islands throughout the state. This is appears to be one of the driving forces in student interest and demand for the Program.
Job opportunities are nearly at an equilibrium with the number of graduates produced by the Program. The workforce needs on neighbor islands remains high, and from 2003 to 2007, 20 students were accepted to the Program in a pilot project for distance education on the island of Hawai’i. Through a collaboration with HawCC and its local imaging facilities, the Program graduated 18 of the 20 accepted students, and 100% of the graduates passed the national certification on their first attempt and all found employment on their home island within six months of graduation. Workforce need and student demand were established for the island of Maui, and the Program has initiated a similar distance education project on Maui. A cohort of 10 students were accepted from an applicant pool of 12, to be trained on the island of Maui beginning Fall 2007. The cohort has eight students remaining after completion of their first year of training.
Significant Program Actions (new certificates, stop-out; gain/loss of positions, results of prior year’s action plan)
Laboratory x-ray machines installed in 1984 are in need of constant repair, and replacement of parts is difficult and costly. Two of the four x-ray units in the energized laboratory (produces x-rays), three of the five units in the non-energized laboratory (fully functional units without the actual production of x-rays), and the only portable x-ray unit in the energized laboratory are inoperable. Efforts to replace the two x-ray units in the energized laboratory continue, although no definite dates for replacement have been established. Note: These energized x-ray machines provide students with vital hands on experience and training without the radiation safety hazard of exposing actual patients, and provide a means for assessment of skills in a controlled environment. Students are able to see actual images and are able to critique the effectiveness of their positioning and exposure technique. Students also perform experiments to demonstrate practical application of theories learned in the classroom. The non-energized x-ray machines provide students with the much-needed opportunity to develop and practice examination routines on “live patients” (their peers). Students must practice to develop their skills in communication, patient care, positioning, exposure technique, and equipment operation.
Therefore, the number of seats per lab section has been decreased, and more sections have been added, since it takes twice as long to process the same number of students with half of the equipment. This has lead to an increase in overload for the program faculty.
In addition, technology in imaging has changed over the years from film-based to digital imaging, and the majority of imaging facilities in Hawai’i have converted to digital. The Program must update their laboratory equipment as well to adequately prepare students for their clinical experience.
Part III. Action Plan
The workforce needs and student demand for the Program on the neighbor islands are being addressed in two ways: (1) external funding for distance education, and (2) a Neighbor Island Admission Policy enabling neighbor island students to qualify for admission in competition with other neighbor island applicants (rather than competing against the entire general pool of applicants). A decision to fund major equipment expenses for two energized x-ray units was made in Fall 2007 by the Chancellor. The areas of immediate importance for the Program are: (1) provide adequate laboratory equipment to prepare the students for clinical courses; (2) mobilize community, student, and alumni support for general funding of equipment; (3) secure additional equipment funding from healthcare foundations and the Hawai’i Health Systems Corporation, Maui Region and East and West Hawai’i regions.
The Program has also submitted, and currently waiting on approval, on a curriculum proposal to change the “Program Objectives” currently in the College catalog to “Program Outcomes”. The Program will continue to update course syllabi to incorporate course outcomes, in preparation for next WASC site visit as a demonstration of the Program’s change to focus on student learning outcomes.
Part IV. Resource Implications (physical, human, financial)
Although program fees help defray the high supply costs of the program, they do not come close to covering the cost of replacing even a single x-ray machine for the program. FTE positions are barely adequate for the Program in its current state, and with the continued efforts to maintain a distance program, program faculty are stretched very thin. Equipment repair and replacement continues to be an area of concern.