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February 2013ISIS CAREER PATHWAYSPROGRAM PROFILE:Madison Area Technical CollegePatient Care Pathway ProgramMay 20131

This report is in the public domain. Permission to reproduce is not necessary. Suggested citation: Cook, Rachel,Gardiner, Karen and Karin Martinson. (2013). Innovative Strategies for Increasing Self-Sufficiency CareerPathways Profile: Madison Area Technical College Patient Care Pathway Program. OPRE Report # 2013-20,Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S.Department of Health and Human Services.Submitted to:Brendan Kelly, Project OfficerOffice of Planning, Research and EvaluationAdministration for Children and FamiliesU.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesContract Number: HHSP23320072913YCProject Director:Karen GardinerAbt Associates, Inc.4550 Montgomery Ave.Bethesda, MD 20814Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Officeof Planning, Research and Evaluation, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services.This report and other reports sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation are available athttp://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/index.html.

F e b r uMaar y 2 0 1 3IntroductionThere is a substantial skills gap betweenthe education and training of the laborforce and the needs of employers inmany high growth industries, includinghealthcare and manufacturing. This gapresults in unemployment while goodpaying jobs go unfilled. At the same time,many low-skilled adults persist in lowwage work with little opportunity foradvancement.1 Career pathways programsare an approach to fill a vital need forskilled workers in the economy and offerlow-wage workers the opportunity toobtain occupational and other skills andadvance into the middle class.The goal of career pathways programs is toimprove the education and earnings of lowskilled adults by providing well-articulatedtraining and employment steps, combinedwith promising instructional approachesand supportive services, which are targetedto jobs that are in demand locally. There isgreat interest in career pathways programsamong policy makers and practitionersin part because such programs provide aframework for guiding the developmentof improved education and trainingapproaches for low-skilled individuals.Along these lines, the Innovative Strategiesfor Increasing Self-Sufficiency (ISIS) studyis using an experimental design to assessthe effectiveness of nine career pathwayprograms across the country.An experimental evaluation design assigns individuals eligible for a program via lottery to a treatmentgroup that can receive the program or a control group that cannot -- but can access other services in thecommunity. Because the assignment process is random, there are no systematic differences between thetreatment and control groups at the time they enter the study. Thus, any differences detected during thefollow-up period can be attributed to the program. Random assignment is considered the gold standard ofprogram evaluation.31

24Career Pathways Program Profile:Madison Area Technical College Patient Care Pathway ProgramThis profile is an overview of the Madison AreaTechnical College (MATC) Patient Care PathwayProgram (PCPP).2 Designed and operated by MATCin Madison, Wisconsin, PCPP targets students whootherwise would not be able to pursue a post-secondarydegree in the health field because of their low skilllevels. It is designed to accelerate entry into college-levelhealthcare programs by allowing students to pursuebasic skills and occupational training simultaneously.The program also provides supports and advising.This profile first describes the career pathwayframework used in the ISIS evaluation, a frameworkthat provides a common approach for describingand assessing career pathways programs, and thendiscusses MATC’s PCPP model and how it fitswithin the career pathway framework.3The Career PathwaysFrameworkThe career pathways thesis is that post-secondaryeducation and training should be organized as a seriesof manageable steps leading to successively highercredentials and employment opportunities in growingoccupations. Each step is designed to prepare studentsfor the next level of employment and education andalso provide a credential with labor market value.To effectively engage, retain, and facilitate learning,programs integrate four core elements: (1) assessment,(2) promising instructional strategies, (3) supports, and(4) employer connections. Individual programs varyin terms of emphasis placed on each core component,although all are comprehensive in nature in order toaddress the learning and life challenges facing adultstudents. Mobilizing these components typicallyrequires a partnership between multiple providers,including community-based organizations, communityand technical colleges, human services and workforceagencies, and employers and their representatives.Although steps in career pathways programs varywith their target populations, focal occupations,and service strategies, the broad training andemployment levels shown in Figure 1 provide a basisfor classifying programs.Prospects for good-paying, stable employmentFigure 1: The Career Pathways StepsV. BA Programs Upper-Skilled JobsIV. 1-2 year Certificate to AA Programs Mid-Level Skilled JobsIII. Short-Term Certificate Programs Entry Level Skilled JobsII. Sectoral Bridge Programs Semi-Skilled JobsI. Basic Bridge ProgramsOccupational, academic, and life skills

F e b r uMaar y 2 0 1 3The first two steps (I and II) represent “onramp” programs designed to prepare lowskilled participants for college-level trainingand lower-skilled jobs with a career focus.The next two steps (III and IV) providecollege-level training for “middle skills”employment—jobs requiring some collegebut less than a bachelor’s degree (e.g., anassociate’s degree or shorter certificate).The final step (V) includes interventionspromoting completion of a bachelor’s degreeand more advanced credentials. Careerpathways are designed to allow entries, exits,and re-entries at each stage—depending onskill levels and prior training, employmentprospects, and changing personal situations.Programs vary in terms of entry and exitpoints as well as steps incorporated.MATC’s Patient CarePathway ProgramPCPP targets low-skilled adult learnersand includes key components of thecareer pathways model. It featuresaccelerated entry into college-leveldegree or diploma programs in healthfor those with skill levels too low to meetentry requirements. The instruction iscontextualized, allowing students tobuild knowledge about the healthcare fieldwhile simultaneously increasing their basicskills. Additionally, the program providesa range of support services to encouragestudents to complete classes, addressissues they may face, and plan for futureacademic, occupational, and employmentopportunities.Program Goals, Target Populationand StructurePCPP is operated by the MATC School ofOnline and Accelerated Learning, whichis responsible for a range of occupationaltrainings for returning adults. MATCdeveloped PCPP to promote enrollmentin and accelerate completion of collegelevel healthcare programs for lower-skilledstudents. Many students cannot entertheir chosen one- or two-year healthcareprogram each year due to low basic skills.Of those students, 75 percent nevercomplete the necessary remediation toraise their skills and thus do not enroll ina health program. This is likely becauseremediation can add up to three semestersof school work. PCPP was designed toimprove persistence and completionamong low-skilled students.PCPP targets students who are interestedin a healthcare career but score too lowon the COMPASS test to enroll inMATC’s six one-year health diplomaprograms (Medical Coding, AdvancedMedical Coding, Massage Therapy, MedicalAssistant, Optometric Technician, andLicensed Practical Nurse) or eight twoyear health degree programs (AssociateDegree Nursing, Dental Hygiene, MedicalLab Technician, Occupational TherapyAssistant, Physical Therapy Assistant,Radiography, Respiratory Therapy, and theone-year Surgical Technician Diploma).4 Inthe absence of the program, students wouldfirst have to raise their skill levels, potentiallythrough basic education courses. They thenwould move to the course prerequisites35

4Career Pathways Program Profile:Madison Area Technical College Patient Care Pathway Programneeded for enrollment, a sequence that may takeseveral semesters. In comparison, PCPP provides basiceducation in parallel with field-specific courseworkwithin one semester.PCPP students generally are at an 8th-10th gradelevel equivalent in their reading or math skills.Although a high school diploma or GED is notrequired for program entry, most students have asecondary credential since one is required for entryinto college programs. The program does not havean income eligibility requirement, but staff reportthat the majority of students are low income.Within the ISIS career pathways model, PCPP isdesigned so that individuals enter a sectoral bridgeprogram (step II in Figure 1) and then move to oneor two-year diploma or degree programs (step IV).PCPP provides two tracks: Patient Care Academies 1and 2. Where a student starts depends on his or herinterests (diploma or degree) and skill level (as assessedby the COMPASS ). Figure 2 depicts the PCPPacademies and associated pathways, including the sixdiploma and eight degree programs available. TheFigure 2. PCPP Course Content and Career PathwayTarget Population: Individuals interested in health careers who have placement test scores too low to begin in theprograms in the traditional manner. Students interested in a one-year Health Diploma program would take PCA 1. Studentsinterested in a Health Associates Degree program (or the one-year Surgical Technician diploma) can start with either PCA 1 orPCA-2 depending on their placement test scores.EducationPatient Care 2 (1 semester)ChemistryApplied Math forChemistryPatient Care 1 (1 semester)Written Communicationsfor HealthcareBody Structure & FunctionMedical TerminologySupport Classes: Math,Reading, and Student SuccessEmployment1-Year Health DiplomaPrograms Medical CodingAdvanced medical CodingMassage TherapyMedical AssistantOptometric TechnicianLicensed Practical NurseMid-Level EmploymentGraduates report wages rangingfrom 12.72 to 16.85 per hour,depending on job and programchoice. Titles vary based onprogram choice.1-Year Health DiplomaPrograms Associate Degree NursingDental HygieneMedical Lab TechnicianOccupational TherapyAssistantPhysical Therapy AssistantRadiographyRespiratory TherapySurgical Technician (1-yearDiploma)Upper-Mid-Level EmploymentGraduates report wages rangingfrom 17.82 to 24.17 per hour,depending on job and programchoice. Titles vary based onprogram choice.