By Anderson Colemon/tr news editor
TRE students in various allied health programs worked hard to achieve a 100 percent certification passing rate.
As of spring 2012, the graduates of TRE Campus completed the examination with a 100 percent pass rate from all six of the programs. The campus received the test results in May.
The campus offers six technical programs that lead to jobs in health care professions – respiratory care, physical therapist assistant, surgical technology, radiologic technology, long-term care administration and health information technology.
Some of the programs are two-year and one is a five-course program.
Allied health director Woody Kageler said the state of Texas requires students to take an examination for licensure and certification.
“All include classes and clinical experiences,” Kageler said. “After they passed the test, they are at the end of the program and graduate with an associate degree or certificate.”
However after graduation, students cannot receive a job in the field until they pass their licensure exam given by a group outside of TCC, like the National Board of Respiratory Care.
According to the board’s annual Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care of 2012, TCC has a job placement rate of 82 percent in the field of respiratory care and attrition — a factor reflecting the degree of losses of personnel— of 14 percent.
Kageler said the instructors teach students the basic skills they would need to pass the test.
“We know what the content areas are on the test, and they are different for all other programs,” he said.
Physical therapist assistant student Dana Drake smiled when she said she feels the pressure of trying to maintain a 100 percent passing rate.
“How I study for the end of the year test is by studying in groups and with friends,” she said. “The teachers are very helpful, and they give us objectives in class for what we would need for the test.”
Tammy Moisant, a TRE nursing student, said the practice they receive from instructors is vital for whenever they go out into the real world.
“We want good mentorship, and we want to be good at the field we are studying,” Moisant said.
“It’s important to be in class because you are learning the skills you need to do well on the test. You have to be able to meet the demands that are there.”