The Medical Assisting Technology (MAT) Program is a program housed on Ohio
... review, enrollment increased from 9 to 13, with 4-6 graduates each year.
University Curriculum Council Academic Program Review Committee Medical Assisting Technology (MAT) –major code AA5019— Associate in Applied Science -- Ohio University Lancaster Seven-year Review
Executive Summary The Medical Assisting Technology (MAT) Program is a program housed on Ohio University’s Lancaster campus. The two-year program awards the Associate in Applied Science degree with the goals of (1) creating a marketable entry-level medical assistant, (2) allowing a MAT graduate the ability to continue on with a bachelor’s degree, (3) having the OUL MAT program be recognized by medical facilities in the geographic area, and (4) preparing graduates for the Certified Medical Assistant exam. The program has one full-time faculty member (who is the program director) and one part-time adjunct faculty member. During the period of the review, enrollment increased from 9 to 13, with 4-6 graduates each year. Although there is little diversity in student gender and ethnicity, skewing white and female, many MAT students are first-generation college students and receive government assistance. Students who complete the program may sit for the Certified Medical Assisting exam, with a 100% pass rate. The MAT program fills a niche in programming at the Lancaster campus; students in the program report strong support from faculty and cite opportunities for career advancement as an outcome of the curriculum. The Program has an outstanding reputation in the community. Commendations The MAT program should be commended for its accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), the program director serving on the accrediting agency board, and its 100% job placement for graduates. Concerns The reviewers expressed some concerns. The imminent retirement of both faculty with no identified plan for replacement with qualified faculty leaves the program vulnerable. The new method of establishing pass rate percentage on the CMA examination will affect the CMA pass rate. The required teaching load is relatively heavy for an accredited program and includes administrative tasks to respond to and ensure continued accreditation. Competition with nursing programs will affect program demand. Recommendations The MAT program should actively recruit replacement faculty who meet accreditation requirements. The program should develop a growth strategy that includes analysis of competition, promotion of career path opportunities, and student recruitment opportunities. OUL and the program leadership should continue to develop partnerships for clinical experiences and to build upon post-degree placement sites. Review prepared by Deborah Henderson (Nursing) and David Carr (Recreation and Sport Pedagogy). Site visit conducted on May 2, 2012 by Tom Scanlan (Arts and Sciences), Ann Paulins (Human and Consumer Sciences Education), Eddith Dashiell (Communications).
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Program Review The Medical Assisting Technology (MAT) Program, housed on Ohio University’s Lancaster campus, is a two-year program that leads to an Associate in Applied Science degree. The goals of the MAT program are: (1) to create a marketable entry-level medical assistant, (2) to allow an MAT graduate the ability to continue on with a bachelor’s degree, (3) to have the OUL MAT program be recognized as a quality program by medical facilities in the geographic area, and (4) to provide a CAAHEP accredited program so the graduates can sit for the CMA (AAMA) exam--Certified Medical Assistant (American Association of Medical Assistants). The MAT Program has one full-time faculty member (who is the program director) and one part-time adjunct faculty member. As required by the accrediting agency, the program director has a private office that includes locking file cabinets for student records. The MAT students are both traditional and non-traditional students. Many of them are first-generation college students, are female, and receive government assistance. After graduating with their associate degrees, some of the students continue with their bachelor’s degrees in Technical and Applied Studies, Health Communication, or Health Services Administration. The students who complete the program may sit for the Certified Medical Assisting (CMA, AAMA) exam. In the past, the program had a 100% pass rate; however, Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP recently changed how it compiles data about the CMA (AAMA) exam pass rates—they are now computed on the graduates who take the exam and pass, not the number of individuals who take the exam, with a percent who pass the exam reported. The Program has an outstanding reputation in the community and graduates easily find jobs, often with their externship (practicum) experience sites. Between 2003-04 and 2010-11, enrollments have increased from 9 to 13 (the range of students enrolled in that time period varied from 8 to 16). Typically, four and six students have graduated each year, with 100% job placement in the field. There is little diversity in student gender and ethnicity, with a high proportion of students being white and female. The MAT program fills a niche in programming at the Lancaster campus; students in the program report strong support from faculty and cite opportunities for career advancement as an outcome of the curriculum. Faculty Profile The MAT Program has one full-time faculty member and one part-time adjunct faculty member. The full-time faculty member is also the Program Director (PD). Based on CAAHEP standards, the PD must be a CMA (AAMA). The PD oversees the program, teaches MA courses, files all reports with CAAHEP, etc., and is the practicum coordinator. The accrediting agency requires that the program director, faculty, and practicum coordinator all have job descriptions that are approved by MAERB/CAAHEP and are kept on file with the agencies. The job descriptions submitted with the self-study included the following: OUL MAT Faculty Job Description, OUL MAT Program Director Job Description, and OUL MAT Practicum Coordinator Job Description.
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One part-time faculty member is a retired OU administrator. The part-time faculty member primarily teaches medical terminology and clinical courses while the full-time faculty teaches administrative courses. Both faculty members are female. Programmatic Practices Teaching and Advising. The teaching load for the full-time faculty member/program director (PD) is eight hours per quarter. The PD started receiving a four-credit quarter hour load reduction per quarter for accreditation tasks, not OU duties, as a result of the first CAAHEP onsite survey, which mandated a load reduction for the PD position. The courses taught by the PD and the part-time faculty is decided by the PD with consideration of students’ course needs. The PD is responsible for all student advising, as well as overseeing admission into the program. Admission duties include confirmation of all required CAAHEP forms and proof of requirements such as vaccinations and a health history. Support for Research. The focus of this program is on career development with an associate degree awarded. There is little support required other than that relating to faculty interest in research and support that is available to all faculty on the OUL campus. Creative activity of the full-time faculty member is monitored by the OUL annual evaluation process. OUL provides travel support to all required conferences, such as AAMA Annual Conference every fall (held in a different region of U.S. each year) and the OSSMA (Ohio State Society of Medical Assistants) conference held every spring (in a different region of Ohio). Service. All group I faculty members have service expectations. The PD is very active in the medical assisting accreditation process and takes responsibility for the OUL program administrative duties. Both faculty members are valuable to the OUL campus and serve within their program, at the campus, and in the Regional Higher Education system. Interdisciplinary Work. The MAT Program works with various associate degree programs, including Health Technology, Human Services Technology, and bachelor degree programs, including Health Services Administration and Health Communication. The PD has been and is involved with CTAG for the MAT Program. Diversity of Faculty/Students. As reported, there is one full time faculty member who serves also as the program director. There is an additional part time faculty member working with this program. While OUL makes attempts to make this program available to diverse groups of students, the data shows those interested in and pursuing this associate degree, have a particular demographic pattern of being female non-traditional students. Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Scholarship. Both the full-time faculty member and part-time faculty member are required to keep current in medical assisting practices. The full-time faculty member/PD is a CMA (AAMA) and must complete continuing education units to keep the certification current and renew certification every five years. Evidence of the PD’s certification was attached to the selfstudy and was noted by reviewers. The PD is a national reviewer/surveyor for CAAHEP-
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accredited programs in the U.S. The PD is also a licensed teacher in the state of Ohio. The PD is required to job shadow as a medical assistant periodically in order to maintain certification. The PD delivers presentations to organizations on topics such as “Conducting an Effective Meeting.” Resources Staffing. Staffing of the program is dependent on the two faculty members identified in the review. There is adequate support staff to assist faculty with tasks such as purchasing, travel arrangements, and other clerical support needs. Physical Facilities and Technology. PD/FT faculty has a private office that includes locking file cabinets as required by the accrediting agency. The part-time faculty office space is housed within the MAT clinical lab. The MAT clinical lab, Room 216 Herrold Hall, consists of 780 square feet. The clinical lab contains lecture tables, two patient exam stations, venipuncture area, a counter to perform medical laboratory tests, a computer workstation, and storage cabinets and closet. It has working room for a maximum of 12 students at one time. The administrative classes are taught in one of two computer labs (Rooms 217 and 219 Herrold Hall) where students (maximum of 20 students) have adequate desk space for coding tasks, computers for course work, as well as storage cabinets for administrative supplies. Students currently use Medisoft for practice management, Synapse EHR for electronic health records, Microsoft Office, and Internet for access to needed sites, such as NIH.gov for other class assignments. Undergraduate Program Review Curriculum. The MAT curriculum is guided by University requirements for an associate degree and the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines. The Standards and Guidelines change approximately every five years. When the last OU Seven-year Review occurred, the program was under the 2003 requirements and is now under the 2008 requirements. The Program has a strong advisory committee and medical advisor (local physician) who assist with decisions about the program and curriculum. This involvement is required by CAAHEP. The MAT courses and non-MAT required courses all provide content as required by OU and CAAHEP. The majority of MAT courses are taken by majors; however, students outside the major can take Medical Terminology, Introduction to Medical Assisting, Law and Ethics, and Pharmacology and Disease Processes. Students. The MAT students are both traditional and non-traditional students. Many of them are first-generation college students, female, and receive government assistance. After graduating with an associate degree, many students continue and earn a baccalaureate degree in Technical and Applied Studies, Health Communication, or Health Services. Graduate Program Review Not applicable.
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Closing Summary The reviewers commend the MAT program for its accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), having a program director and tenured faculty member who serves on the accrediting agency board, , and the 100% job placement for graduates. The reviewers expressed some concerns, among them are the imminent retirement of both faculty who teach in the program, no identified plan for replacement with qualified faculty meeting medical assisting professional standards, the new method of establishing pass rate percentage on the CMA examination which has affected OUL’s MAT CMA pass rate and the small but steady enrollment (n=9-13) which yields 4 to 6 graduates each year. Reviewers state that the MAT program is viable, and offer the following recommendations. The MAT program should actively recruit replacement faculty who meet accreditation requirements. The program should develop a growth strategy that includes analysis of competition, promotion of career path opportunities, and student recruitment opportunities. OUL and the program leadership should continue to develop partnerships for clinical experiences and to build upon post-degree placement sites.
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November 25, 2012 Dr. Rob Brannan, Chair Program Review Committee University Curriculum Council Dear Rob: I was pleased to read the draft of the program review document for Medical Assisting Technology Program at the Ohio University Lancaster campus. I agree with the review assessment that the MAT is a viable component of the curriculum at Lancaster and that the program serves a number of students by offering them training in current knowledge and methods in medical technology. I also note the concerns and recommendations the Committee has. Please be assured that as long as RHE continues to offer the program, a full-time faculty member will be hired to be the lead faculty member and the program coordinator. I do note some concern in Dean Smith’s response regarding enrollment numbers, but assuming the program is not discontinued due to weak enrollment, RHE is committed to full-time faculty support for the program. The report’s guidance in its recommendations, namely that the program develop a growth strategy that includes analysis of competition, promotion of career path opportunities, and student recruitment opportunities is helpful advice that we will follow, particularly in light of low enrollment. OUL and the program leadership will indeed continue to develop partnerships for clinical experiences and to build upon post-degree placement sites. As you know, it is our goal to have the MAT program, and all RHE Associate Degree programs, offer an up-to-date curriculum that will prepare our students to enter the local workforce. In addition, many of our students will continue their educations by completion of a baccalaureate degree program. These programs may be a degree completion program such as the Bachelors of Applied Management or the Bachelors of Technical and Applied Studies, or they may be any number of other baccalaureate programs offered at the regional campuses or at Athens. In summary I would like to thank the UCC Programs Committee and the reviewers who visited for their time and input into this process. RHE remains committed to the support of the MAT program and will do all it can to be sure that sufficient financial support, physical space, equipment and, of course, faculty and staff resources are dedicated to serving our local students in this program. Sincerely, James W. Fonseca Interim Executive Dean Regional Higher Education
