Howard College Career Technical Education & Health Professions

Career technical education and health professions programs are designed to prepare students for employment in a career field. These programs have been developed in cooperation with business and industry to satisfy a need for timely and effective workforce education. Career technical and health professions programs have a competency-based curriculum organized to teach the skills, knowledge, and perspectives needed by a student to enter an occupation. Each program may contain several award levels: Associate of Applied Science, Certificate Level II, Certificate Level I, and/or a Marketable Skills Achievement Award.

The Associate of Applied Science Degree is designed for the student pursuing a two-year specialized collegiate level Career Technical Education program of study that will prepare him or her for immediate employment in business or industry. General educational requirements are included as an integral part of each AAS program. Both the general education requirements and the specified Career Technical Education courses for the program in which the student is enrolled must be met in order to qualify for the degree. Degree plans are required for students working toward an AAS degree. Counseling should be sought as early as possible.

For Health Professions Programs Only

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards requires competency assessment of all individuals in direct contact with patients and employees. Competency extends beyond technical skills to an individual’s criminal history; therefore students complete clinical background checks prior to admission to specific programs. Instructions for completing the background checks can be obtained from the department to which the student is applying.

Infectious Diseases Policy

As healthcare workers, health professions students are frequently exposed to patients that have been diagnosed with communicable diseases including but not limited to tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis. Additionally, patients may carry communicable diseases but not be diagnosed at the time that care takes place. All health profession students are expected to follow standard precautions for all patients. Further, they may not refuse care of any patient due to the nature of disease. The only exception to this is for pregnant health care workers who are prohibited by hospital policy from working around a specific disease or treatment process. (Ex. pregnant health care workers must not work with the drug Ribavirin.) Refusal to accept an assignment based on disease status could result in the student earning an “F” for the clinical and being ineligible for re-enrollment in the program.

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