Dear Health Literacy Colleagues:
A recent study of the Health Professions Pathways (H2P) Consortium, released by OCCRL, looked at the immediate economic benefits of very short term health care certificate programs: Stacking Up? Do Stackable Credentials Contribute to Upward Mobility?
The study authors noted two concerns about the viability of stackable credentials in promoting social mobility: There was evidence that
- A smaller proportion of students of color progressed from these shorter term programs to longer term programs
- Those who completed these shorter term programs were more likely to be employed but there was no evidence to support a positive gain in earnings
Limitations of the study included a focus on one potential benefit (economic) and the short timeframe which did not include outcomes for students with a longer transition period. “Students who completed long term certificate and associate’s level programs earned significantly more than those who hadn’t earned a credential.”
With this knowledge, a few questions for us might be:
- How can we assist students interested in health care programs weigh the options?
- How do we prepare for the longer certificates and associate degrees?
Cynthia Zafft
Health Literacy Moderator
The third party evaluation of the H2P program and an array of advising and teaching materials for the H2P programs are available on the SkillsCommon Repository.