Draft Environmental Scan for
College of Health Professions

Clinical Laboratory Science Program

Initiative 1: ACC Biotechnology-SWT CLS articulation to increase student enrollment. This initiative would create an approved track for biotechnology students at Austin Community College to complete a B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science at SWT.

Environmental Factors:
  •   Increased job opportunities in biotechnology organizations in the Central Texas area (Austin, San Antonio, Smithville)
  •   Increased enrollment of biotechnology majors at Austin Community College
  •   Threats to ACC's programs from potential loss of their students if they leave their program early to transfer to SWT
  •   Accrediting agency may see this as a major change in the focus of the program away from the traditional clinical laboratory curriculum and emphasis on clinical experiences in hospitals and other clinical laboratories

Opportunities for this initiative: career options in a growing sector of health employment, rotation in an alternative setting, additional contacts as future employers of our student graduates, allows ACC students to obtain a 4 year degree which ultimately enhances ACC's reputation, collaboration opportunities for faculty (grants, workshops, etc) and students (internships, tours, etc), an agreement brings attention to our department, college and university as being proactive in this sector of health care, and, an agreement would make SWT the only university to enter into this type of collaboration.

Initiative 2: Increase the number of clinical affiliations for internships. This initiative would set a goal of adding at least 5 new clinical affiliates in the upcoming year.

Environmental Factors:
  •   Expected increases in enrollment will require more clinical sites for internships.
  •   Current shortages of laboratory personnel have created a willingness to have students as interns.
  •   New clinical facilities in the Central Texas area provide new sites for students.
  •   Successful articulation with ACC's Biotechnology Program may open additional sites in biotechnology organizations (i.e., Ambion, Intelligen).
  •   Lining up clinical sites and orientating student supervisors is time-consuming and involves significant time away from the University.

Opportunities for this initiative: Students will have a more diverse array of clinical internship opportunities. SWT's name reaches more potential employers and employees who supervise our students. Students might be able to complete internships closer to home, with a reduction in commuting.

Initiative 3: The addition of a full-time laboratory assistant. This person would be responsible for laboratory preparations and conduct some laboratory sections, maintain chemical inventory, monitor compliance with OSHA regulations, and other related duties.

Environmental Factors:
  •   Increased workload in lab preparations and lab instruction has prevented faculty from developing their own research programs and release time for writing grant applications.
  •   Additional expense for a position which will generate few SCH
  •   Increased regulation of laboratories by federal and state agencies
  •   Job opportunities for undergraduate students as laboratory assistants

Opportunities for this initiative: A full-time assistant would be able to maintain all laboratories with respect to preparation of labs, storage/organization, safety documents, QC of equipment, ordering/pick-up of materials, and other associated tasks. Presently, our faculty are required to handle all preparation, teaching, organization, clean-up, etc., of each course associated lab. Due to the nature of the laboratory being clinical and a "wet" lab, a large amount of time and preparation is required by the faculty which competes for service and scholarship activities. In comparison, most universities have graduate students, undergraduates, and/or part or full-time assistants to assist with these duties. Another advantage may be the participation of student(s) as part-time helpers for the laboratory assistant as a paid experience opportunity.

Communication Disorders

Initiative 1: Continue the establishment and further development of a bilingual program (Spanish) in the speech-language pathology.

Environmental Factors:
  •   The Department of Communication Disorders (CDIS) is in an ideal location for the development of a bilingual (Spanish) program.
  •   There is a critical need for bilingual clinicians to serve bilingual children in the State of Texas.
  •   Funding opportunities at the state and federal levels are excellent for support of such a program.
  •   CDIS has an appropriately trained individual (Dr. Diana Gonzales) to establish and develop this program.
  •   Having a bilingual program at SWT will greatly increase the number of minority undergraduate and undergraduate students in CDIS.
  •   By having increased number of students and hopefully clinical supervisors, the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic will be better able to serve this population in the San Marcos area. An increased number of clients for the clinic will enhance the training opportunities for students.
  •   The foundations for the bilingual program have already been developed. The academic sequence has been approved and students are currently taking the appropriate classes. Approximately 30 undergraduate students have expressed an interest in this program during the Fall 2002 semester.

Initiative 2: Establish a specialty clinic during the summer for treating children for language, learning and literacy problems.

Environmental Factors:
  •   The location of the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic between Austin and San Antonio puts CDIS in an ideal location to offer such a clinic for the Central Texas Region
  •   The department has experience in offering specialty clinics during the summer. When the department was in Special Education, a three-month Learning Disabilities Clinic was conducted for over 10 years that drew children and their families from across the state. More recently, an intensive program for adults who stutter was conducted by the SWT clinic from 1980 - 1985 and an intensive program for children who stutter and their families was conducted from 1987 - 1994. The family program has been expanded to include Internet and electronic mail formats.
  •   Personnel are currently available to conduct such a program.
  •   There is currently a need for such a program during the summer months. The SWT clinic currently enrolls numerous children for therapy during the summer months who would not otherwise receive services when school is out. By having an intensive program each day, enrollment opportunities would increase.

Initiative 3: Establish a distance-learning program for the purpose of delivering continuing education credit to working professionals.

Environmental Factors:
  •   The department has offered continuing education for working professional since 1980 in the form of our Spring Conference. Thus, the department has experience and a reputation for offering quality continuing education programs.
  •   Distance education offerings would allow the possibility of some graduate classes being offered in the distance format so second year graduate students could take classes while participating in off-campus clinical placements outside the San Marcos area.
  •   Numerous distance education programs in the Communication Disorders are being developed across the country as a response to the Doctorate in Audiology degree. Thus, models are established that could be used in the development of such a program.
  •   To maintain licensure, speech-language pathologists must earn a minimum of 10 continuing education units a year. There is a need for such continuing education opportunities from working professionals.

Health Administration

Initiative 1: Develop a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Health Services Administration, Research and Policy.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   As a result of regional assessment surveys, there is evidence of increasing demand for advanced decision-making skills important in analysis and measurement of health care organization and delivery models.
  •   Analysis of health care organizations strongly suggests increasing structural complexity that lends itself to demand for sophisticated leadership skills at the executive levels.
  •   The increasingly important role of local, state, and national governmental agencies in the design of and delivery of health services implies the importance of health policy expertise at senior levels of decision-making in such agencies.
  •   Although no comparable doctoral program currently exists within the State of Texas, other universities have indicated a willingness to pursue closely related doctoral programs (TAMU; Texas Tech; Baylor University).
  •   Funding support from the Texas State Legislature appears to be marginal at best in the next session.

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   University and College of Health Professions financial capabilities will combine to enhance or restrict the development of the doctoral program.
  •   Willingness of the University and College of Health Professions leadership, faculty and staff to support such a proposal will be affected by the relative success of other doctoral programs on the campus.

Initiative 2: Develop an Undergraduate Healthcare Administration Certificate Program.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Administrative and managerial expertise in health care administration for career advancement is in demand from those in the clinical disciplines.
  •   Administrative and managerial expertise in health care administration is increasingly important in minority and medically underserved communities.
  •   Technological innovation in distance learning is advancing rapidly which facilitates remote access to SWT's health care administration curricula.

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   A graduate health care administration certificate program has been approved and is functioning well.
  •   Initially, no additional expense to the department is expected, based on results of the graduate certificate experience. Additional expense can be expected if such a certificate program eventually results in significant increases in faculty workload due to various types of student enrollment increases.
  •   Department faculty have expressed full support to move into this additional certificate program.

Initiative 3: Enhance the accreditation status of the Graduate Program in Healthcare Administration.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Accreditation status of the graduate program currently exists at the mid-level of achievement potential according to the Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration.
  •   Accreditation is vital to recruitment and retention of top quality student applicants and of potential faculty members.
  •   Access to selected federal grants and funding is contingent upon accredited status. Lack of program accreditation status would have resulted in $39,000 less funding for student support in FY 02.

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   Certificate, or "accreditation" status of the undergraduate program currently stands at the highest level of achievement according to the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. Departmental prestige and marketability would be enhanced if both undergraduate and graduate programs were at the highest levels of accredited status.
  •   Graduate accreditation is costly (in maintenance and operations funding) for the program, college, and university, in terms of acquiring and maintaining such status.
  •   Accreditation criteria and standards encourage superior teaching, research, and service performance, especially for program faculty.

Health Information Management Program

Initiative 1: Develop and implement curriculum changes.

Environmental Factors:
  •   Feedback from Academic Program Review
  •   Formal feedback from program evaluation activities from completed surveys with clinical sites, graduates and employers of our graduates
  •   Changes in accreditation standards
  •   Rapidly increasing scope of profession
  •   Needs of distance ed student population which is consistent with the "Closing the Gaps" strategy related to "seamless transition" from the community college to the university
  •   Needs of employers and other communities of interest who employ or rely on expertise of HIM graduates

Initiative 2: Enhance the HIM distance education progression program (progression from associates to bachelors degree).

Environmental Factors:
  •   Faculty time and expertise
  •   Now only BSHIM program in the state with approximately 20 associate degree programs currently accredited
  •   Marketplace need for HIM professional with advanced certification
  •   Expanding role of HIM profession into many new kinds of positions
  •   Prediction by Bureau of Labor Statistics for significant increase in demand for HIM professionals over next 10 years
  •   Needs of distance ed student population which is consistent with the "Closing the Gaps" strategy related to "seamless transition" from the community college to the university

Initiative 3: Implement a certificate program specifically for medical coding.

Environmental Factors:
  •   Tremendous need for trained medical coders
  •   Certification exams to earn credentials to recognize coding expertise now offered by national professional association and are accepted and recognized nationally
  •   Program approval process now in available through the national professional association to give national recognition and validity
  •   Existing courses and faculty could be utilized to offered the required curriculum
  •   Students completing the coding certification program could be potential students for the BSHIM Program

Health Services Research

Initiative 1: Marketing and promotion of recently approved graduate certificates in Long Term Care Administration, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Health Informatics.

External Environmental Factors - Long Term Care Certificate:
  •   Between 1990 and 2000, the over 65 population increased 35 %, representing 12+% of the U.S. population in 2000. Another 35 % increase is expected by 2010.
  •   By 2030, the over 65 population will equal 20 % of the total U.S. population.
  •   Over 18 % of the 85+ age population require housing in nursing homes in 2000.
  •   Texas has the fourth largest population of older adults (2.7 million in 2000), the second highest population of Hispanics, and third highest population of Blacks.
  •   There are 1 million residents over the age of 75 in Texas. That number will increase 15 % by the year 2010, with an additional increase of 22% by 2030.
  •   Approximately 5% of the elderly Texas population lives in long term care facilities (135,000).
  •   With increasing numbers of over 65, the demand for licensed nursing facility administrators will see significant increases.
  •   There is a 36.5% decline in the number of candidates for the licensure examination for new administrators, creating a shortfall of 1200 administrators for Texas.
  •   Texas licensure requirements for nursing facility administrators has been raised such that a baccalaureate degree is now required.
  •   An increasingly hostile legal environment for long-term care will decrease the potential student pool seeking licensure as nursing facility administrators
  •   A decrease in the number of licensed nursing facility administrators will drive up salaries for graduates and scholarship opportunities for students, helping offset the decline in student numbers by attracting a older, more mature student to the field of study

Internal Environmental Factors - Long Term Care Certificate:
  •   Alternative academic programs will need to be arranged for the older, more mature students seeking academic course work in long term care administration (i.e., linkage with the SWT Occupational Education program, undergraduate and graduate certificates in long term care administration used by other academic majors, etc.).
  •   It will become increasingly important to work with the SWT Development division in the establishment of scholarships and stipends for students who find themselves locked into a lengthy internship and unable to work.
  •   The SWT Long Term Care Administration program is one of the largest and most recognized programs in the nation, yet it is small when compared to other majors across campus.

External Environmental Factors - Biostatistics Certificate:
  •   Increasing accountability within health care is requiring increased measurement of quality indicators and reporting of medical errors. (2)
  •   Increased competition within health care will increase demand for quantitative and analytical skills among health professionals involved in market research and strategic planning.
  •   It will be increasingly important to focus department and faculty attention toward increasing scholarship and grant activity as we market ourselves within the world of biostatistics.

Internal Environmental Factors - Biostatistics Certificate:
  •   There will be an increasing need to work cooperatively with other departments to help serve the bio-statistical needs of their students as more departments increase the value of quantitative decision tools for their graduates.
  •   The Health Services Research program will need to play a more central role in guiding the university in the selection and availability of advanced statistical software while helping find creative solutions for funding of statistical software to be used by both faculty and students.

External Environmental Factors - Epidemiology Certificate:
  •   Bio-terrorism will create an unusual demand over the next decade for epidemiologists needed for surveillance and measurement of infectious diseases.
  •   Increased availability of large clinical databases will increase demand for research on healthcare outcomes and the use of the databases to improve the public health.
  •   It will be increasingly important to focus department and faculty attention toward increasing scholarship and grant activity as we market ourselves within the world of epidemiology.

Internal Environmental Factors - Epidemiology Certificate:
  •   The Health Services Research department will need to work cooperatively with other departments (i.e., aquatic biology, criminal justice, geography) to help meet the needs of their students for knowledge related to the outbreak of disease, the infectious process, and topics such as bio-terrorism at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

External Environmental Factors - Health Informatics Certificate:
  •   Increased demand for computerization in health care (i.e., computerized patient record) will increase demand for health professionals who understand advanced concepts of health informatics.
  •   The demand for e-health applications will double between 2002 and 2005.
  •   Privacy and security issues arising from federal HIPAA legislation will increase demand for health professionals with knowledge of health informatics
  •   Increased demand for quality and efficiency in health care will increase demand for health professionals who understand typically industrial quantitative techniques to measure such.
  •   It will be increasingly important to focus department and faculty attention toward increasing scholarship and grant activity as we market ourselves within the world of health informatics.

Internal Environmental Factors - Health Informatics Certificate:
  •   Budgetary pressures within the university will increase the need for creative solutions to the funding of software and computer hardware purchases.

Initiative 2: Proposal for new graduate certificates for Healthcare Human Resources program.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Constant change and increasing complexity of federal and state legislation related to human resources will increase demand for specialized knowledge in employment and labor law, as well as health and safety in the workplace.
  •   JCAHO standards for hospital accreditation on health and safety are modified at least every three years; OSHA regulations tend to be modified annually.
  •   Constant change and increasing complexity of employee compensation and benefit programs will increase the need for internal company specialists to advise employers in these areas (i.e., the federal government is considering legislation to significantly modify the FMLA and "compensatory" pay for nonexempt employees.
  •   There is increased need for health care human resource professionals to act as internal consultants/organizational development specialists in the face of significant labor shortages to manage employee costs and establish a constructive work environment.

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   There is an increasing need to cooperate and collaborate with other SWT departments that are involved in teaching human resource content so as to gain efficiencies in content delivery and make specialized skills found in faculties from other departments available to our students.
  •   It will be important to involve students from other departments in the local student chapter for the Society for Human Resource Management that is organized within the Department of Health Services Research
  •   Information Technology related courses within the Health Services Research program provide a unique opportunity to create a certificate related to Human Resource Information Systems.

Initiative 3: Cooperation and participation with other academic departments in creation of interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate programs in biotechnology.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Advances in Medical genomics and proteomics over a very short period of time will greatly increase the demand for graduates with knowledge of bioinformatics and the statistical analysis of genetic information.
  •   Important Texas economic growth tied to advances in genomics will include agricultural research, pharmaceutical research, and cancer research and treatment.

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   There will be a proposal for an interdisciplinary biotechnology program available for university review by Fall 2003. An interdisciplinary, multi-department team is in discussion now concerning such as proposal. The Department Health Services Research along with others within the college should be involved in that proposal.

Initiative 4: Proposal for Ph.D. in Health Services Administration, Research, and Policy

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Increasing demand for advanced quantitative skills important in analysis and measurement of health care will lead to an increase in demand for doctoral preparation of health care leaders.
  •   Increasing complexity of organizational structure within health care will lead to an increase in demand for doctoral preparation of health care leaders who are knowledgeable in advanced skills related to organizational development.
  •   As the cost of health care increases, there will be an increased demand for health professionals with advanced understanding of health economic policy at both the state and national level.

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   University and state financial situation will require a careful financial and need analysis of any proposed doctoral program.
  •   There will be a proposal for the above doctoral program available for review within the department, college, and university during the Spring 2003 semester.

Physical Therapy

Initiative 1: Develop and implement a doctorate of physical therapy (DPT) program.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Current position of opposition by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
  •   Increasing demand by consumers (students)
  •   Increasing competition for students by private institutions in Texas
  •   Increasing competition for students by institutions outside of Texas who offer the degree

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   Status of support within the university - financial, space, administrative

Initiative 2: Increase enrollment in graduate program through enhancement of the applicant pool both in quality and quantity.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Competition by other programs who offer the DPT
  •   Increased job availability
  •   Professional association Vision 2020 for doctoral prepared PTs (DPT)

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   Limited funding for recruitment by faculty
  •   Adequate financial assistance for students to complete the program once enrolled

Initiative 3: Significantly increase externally funded grant, clinical and contract activity.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Community need for physical therapy services and related educational and screening programs among persons who have limited funding for services
  •   Competition with other physical therapy providers in the area
  •   Limited sources for research support

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   Limited support for grant writing
  •   Increased university support for development activities
  •   Need to upgrade equipment and space for clinic and research labs
  •   Physical accessibility to the clinic (parking especially)

Radiation Therapy Program

Initiative 1: Obtain cooperation with a cancer center in order to secure a radiation therapy treatment room to continue holding weekly labs. This initiative and the related obstacles impact the five clinical courses offered by this program. RTT 3320, RTT 3321, RTT 4320, RTT 4321, and RTT 4322. An RTT lab and equipment is needed to provide regular simulation and treatment labs. The RTT lab and equipment adds to the integrity of the program and provides needed clinical / technical support to students.

Environmental Factors:
  •   No funding available for high-dollar treatment delivery simulators, film view boxes, and positional lasers.
  •   Competitive financial support from various university resources based on student ratio. Traditional student number for an undergraduate class for RTT is 14.
  •   Limitations for faculty based on student ratio, may disregard requirement of direct student supervision while in clinical practice and basis of treatment complexity, complex technology and outcome of treatment error for patient

Initiative 2: Secure sources of funding to support the maintenance and upgrade of the treatment planning computer lab. The Prowess System was donated without support services. Several bugs have been identified that lock-up the system and wipe out the users data and information. This initiative and the related obstacles impact RTT 4361 Dosimetry 2 and PT 3610 Gross Anatomy.

Environmental Factors:
  •   No funding available for support of treatment planning lab.
  •   The level of complexity of treatment planning in the profession of Radiation Therapy requires hands-on training for students to gain the needed skill level. Teaching opportunities do not exist at independent cancer centers.
  •   The geographic location of SWT prohibits collaboration with any medical school or Health Science Center.

Initiative 3: Develop a scholarship plan for the Program Director that includes time to conduct research.

Environmental Factors:
  •   Geographic location of SWT - Availability of instructors in area.
  •   The availability of adjunct faculty - willing to break away from their practice, incur travel expenses to San Marcos and back, and commit time needed for class preparation and delivery is minimal.
  •   Availability of grant opportunities within this discipline, university support for grant writing activities is good.

Respiratory Care

Initiative 1: Start a certificate program in polysomnography (sleep medicine).

Environmental Factors:
  •   Access to computer facility
  •   Need clinical training facility
  •   Pre-approved by Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care
  •   Establish an account to fund developmental activities for faculty and students

Initiative 2: Open a sleep diagnostic center.

Environmental Factors:
  •   Serve as clinical training site for polysomnography students
  •   Availability of collaborative arrangement with local business
  •   Need an appropriate facility for patient studies

Initiative 3: Develop three distance education courses in respiratory care.

Environmental Factors:
  •   Distance education is contained in Texas
  •   Five point education plan initiative
  •   Need for a course in research relevant to respiratory care
  •   Upgrade respiratory care curriculum to include advanced applied research techniques
  •   Make appropriate courses available to students via Internet

School of Social Work

Initiative 1: Continue and expand current distance education program.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Need for more degreed social work practitioners statewide - especially in isolated areas (positive)
  •   Numbers of full-time state agency employees seeking MSW degree (positive)
  •   School's excellent partnership record with state agencies (positive)
  •   Demonstrated success of current distance education program (positive)
  •   "Closing the Gaps" initiative to encourage minority recruitment (positive)
  •   Faculty currently involved in upgrading technology training (positive)
  •   Proposed MSW program for UT San Antonio 2004 (negative - unless distance education in San Antonio implemented quickly)

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   Permanent SPI funding for current program in place (positive - if continued)
  •   University resources for support of distance education-only selected programs receive extensive technology support (positive if selected/negative if not)
  •   Competition with departments/schools for technological distance education resources (positive/negative)

Initiative 2: Increase grant/contract and research activity.

External Environmental Factors:
  •   Numerous requests from state agencies to develop contracts (positive)
  •   Recognition of expertise in the School to conduct particular studies (positive)
  •   Vigorous competition for limited federal grant funding (negative)
  •   Financial crisis for state agencies including higher education (negative)

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   Faculty expertise/record with grants/contracts/conducting research (positive)
  •   Limited resources for Richter Institute of Social Work Research (negative)
  •   All faculty positions not filled - faculty time stretched with heavy teaching, service load, preparation for accreditation (negative)
  •   Lack of adequate space for research project staff (negative)

Initiative 3: Alumni development - newsletter, alumni database, continuing education

External Environmental Factors:
  •   High interest of alumni in alumni development (positive)
  •   Other schools of social work have vigorous alumni activities (negative)

Internal Environmental Factors:
  •   High interest of students and faculty in alumni development (positive)
  •   Faculty expertise in delivering continuing education (positive)
  •   Lack of faculty time, staff time, and financial resources for alumni development especially continuing education (negative)

Primary Environmental Factor:
  •   The MSW and BSW programs must be accredited during this accreditation cycle for the School to meet its fundamental goal of educating students for professional social work practice. Without accreditation the primary goal and all three initiatives are not possible. Without adequate continuing support of the School accreditation cannot be achieved.

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