Clover Park Medical Program Gets a Shot in the Arm

Higher education tuition is rising in Washington state at about the same time that  wants to break ground on a cutting-edge facility to meet a growing demand in the medical field.

Plans to build the 55,562 square foot Health Sciences Building are underway and will bring 15 health career programs under one roof. The project—estimated at $24 million— will be located next to the McGavick Student Center.

Right now, the property is a patch of dirt and rocks used for overflow parking, but in a few years it will house such programs as Nursing Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assistant and more.

The school's current health and medical facilities and resources are scattered in five buildings across campus. Construction of the facility will begin at the end of the year and will be completed by June 2013, said Amy Goings, the Vice President for Operations and College Relations.

The new facility was funded through the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, which is governed by a nine-member board appointed by the governor.

While tuition has spiked in recent years, the college secured 87 percent of its funding that is allotted to 34 community and technical colleges in the state. Colleges submit a proposal for capital projects. The CPTC's medical program has a waiting list, making it one of the pritories on the SBTC's finance division.

Students have realized that the medical field presents some of the best and fastest professional emplyoment opportunities in Washington state, partially because some programs like the Health Unit Coordinator or Hemodialysis Technician certifications require two quaters. Full-time student in the medical field has increased at CPTC. There were 627 more students enrolled in the 2009-10 compared to the 2,281 in 2006-07.

Still, earning a two-year technical degree or even a half-year certification in the medical program is becoming more of a financial burden. Tuition has gone up across the board along with the other career training programs, said Shawn Jennison, director for college relations.

About half of CPTC's student-body is on some form of financial aid, Jennison said. Tuition has increased by 14 percent in the past two fiscal years, and is projected to soar in the next two years by nearly 25 percent.

"When the Legislature raises tuition, it affects all programs, not just medical," Jennison said.

Given the economic climate on campus and in the state, associated student government president Jennifer Justice said she was astonished to see adequate funding for the new facility, adding students will have the ability to be centralized and have the nicest equipment in one location.

"The school put in the proposal for the Health Sciences Building when there was not a recession, when money was more available in the schools," Justice said.

Because the facility is funded by state and capital dollars, the college will not have to decrease the size of the much-needed facility, Goings said. Jennison said, however, they may start a private capital campaign through the school's foundation to identify funding sources.

Faculty members like Mikelle Newry, a medical lab technician, said there is a physical space issue in her department. She said the new facility will help accomodate the growing FTE.

"We need an updated facility and for the health care program to come under one roof," Newry said.

The college has a request in for a future hospitality institute, Goings said. It is not clear at this time when that building will be built. Below is the growth in full-time students that the college has experiened since the beginning of the recession.

                                                     06-07    07-08    08-09    09-10

Central Service/Sterile Processing

86.8

74.9

91.9

110.1

Dental Assistant/Dental Admin Specialist

295.0

321.5

290.8

439.1

Health Unit Coordinator

215.1

219.8

312.3

316.8

Hemodialysis Technician

79.2

63.3

72.0

113.2

Human Services

193.0

202.4

233.5

302.6

Licensed Practical Nurse

557.1

574.4

582.9

556.1

Medical Assistant

273.8

266.4

173.7

235.0

Medical Histology Technician

11.3

42.9

30.8

67.1

Medical Laboratory Technician

75.4

79.9

71.7

73.5

Nursing Assistant

145.9

153.7

220.0

315.5

Nursing RN Option

27.0

46.1

63.4

52.9

Pharmacy Technician

182.5

184.8

133.5

153.6

Surgical Technology

138.9

171.5

155.9

172.9

Total

2,281.0

2,401.7

2,432.3

2,908.5