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All actions in the approval of new programs for public institutions are subject to a stipulation regarding the program’s ability to attain specified goals that have been established by the institution and approved by the Council on Postsecondary Education (the Council). At the conclusion of an appropriate period of time, the program’s performance shall be reviewed by Council staff following criteria established in the Council’s Academic Programs Policy.
A program will adhere to the role and scope of the institution as set forth in its mission statement and as complemented by the institution’s strategic plan.
The objective of the Radiation Therapy Program is to fill the needs of the radiation therapy community by producing graduates prepared to work in entry-level positions as radiation therapists. In addition to excellent patient care skills and clinical knowledge, graduates will have exceptional communication skills, sound judgment, critical thinking and problem solving abilities.
The 2013-18 Strategic Plan for NKU has stated priorities/goals of student success, talent development, academic innovation, community engagement and institutional excellence. The objectives of the radiation therapy program support each of them but specifically the following:
Also, NKU will be opening a Health Innovations Center in the spring of 2018. The vision for the building is to answer the many issues affecting population health in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The radiation therapy program would be an additional program housed in the building and would support that vision by graduating health care professionals who treat patients with chronic conditions.
This proposal also supports many of the objectives identified in The 2016-21 Strategic Agenda for Postsecondary and Adult Education, Stronger by Degrees (2016 – 2021).
This proposal also supports many of points identified in the statewide implementation plan from The 2016-21 Strategic Agenda for Postsecondary and Adult Education, Stronger by Degrees (2016 – 2021). Specifically, the proposed radiation therapy program will contribute to the outcomes based funding initiative by increasing the number of degrees offered at NKU, credentials earned by students, and number of degrees completed.
The curriculum should be structured to meet the stated objectives and student learning outcomes of the program.
The program curriculum would include didactic instruction in the areas of patient care, pathology and treatment principles, radiation physics, radiation biology and safety, and ethics. Clinical practice and supplemental instruction would be provided at clinical sites throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, southwest Indiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio tristate area.
The most distinctive quality of this program would be its status as the only one in Kentucky. With the closure of St. Catharine College, the radiation therapy program there moved to Bellarmine University in order to allow current students to complete the program, but it is currently not accepting new students. It is uncertain whether that program will continue once those students graduate. However, even if that program continues, this proposed NKU program would be the only one at a public institution in Kentucky.
Another distinctive quality of this program will be the inclusion of interprofessional courses, which promote the team concept in healthcare as mandated for quality and patient safety in healthcare centers of excellence. In addition to specific radiation therapy courses, students will take courses from the health science (HSC) and radiologic science programs (RAD), plus a health informatics course (HIN) and Human Services course (HSR). Students enrolled in these courses will be from varied healthcare programs, allowing for interdisciplinary experiences.
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Program accreditation by the JRCERT must be accomplished in order for the graduates of the NKU radiation therapy program to be eligible to take the national certification exam. Accreditation must be awarded by the time the first class graduates (May 2020). Over the next few years, the program director will apply for accreditation, complete the required self study, partake in the JRCERT site visit and ensure all requirements are met for full accreditation.
Attach the SACS Faculty Roster Form in the Proposal Toolbox . Faculty resources shall be demonstrated to be adequate and appropriate for the proposed program. The number of faculty should meet external standards where appropriate. The qualifications of faculty will support the objectives and curriculum of the proposed program.
Access to the qualitative and quantitative library resources must be appropriate for the proposed program and should meet recognized standards for study at a particular level or in a particular field where such standards are available. Adequacy of electronic access, library facilities, and human resources to service the proposed program in terms of students and faculty will be considered. Physical facilities and instructional equipment must be adequate to support a high quality program. The proposal must address the availability of classroom, laboratory, and office space as well as any equipment needs.
Students of the radiation therapy program will benefit from having full access to the resources within the W. Frank Steely Library found on campus at NKU. Current online databases will be sufficient for students to complete the program.
As far as on-campus physical space, a majority of the didactic coursework will take place in a classroom. In addition, 2 faculty offices will be needed to support those teaching full-time in the program. Due to the large physical space required to accommodate the size of radiation therapy equipment and the expense of having radiation therapy equipment on-campus, clinical and lab coursework will take place off campus at area clinical sites not owned by NKU.
Program Admission Standards: Due to the limited number of clinical placements and the competitive, appealing nature of the program, the Radiation Therapy Program will have a selective admissions process. Students will be admitted once a year and will start the program during the fall semester. In order to be considered for acceptance in the Radiation Therapy Program, a student must have a minimum 2.8 GPA and completion of the following courses with a grade of C or better: BIO 208 and 208L (Human Anatomy and Physiology I), PHY 110 and PHY 110L (Introduction to Physics), MAT 119 (Pre-Calculus Math) or MAT 129 (Calculus I), and ENG 101 (College Writing). Students must successfully complete BIO 209 and BIO 209/L with a C or better prior to starting the first professional year.
Program Retention and Completion Standards: The program’s benchmark for retention and completion is set at 75% and in that 75% of those students who start the program will graduate within a reasonable time frame (150% of stated program length). The selective nature of the admissions process is designed to meet the retention and completion standards.
Graduates of the proposed Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy Program must complete the university's general education requirements in addition to prescribed professional courses in the program. Combined, there are a total of 124 hours required for the program completion. Professional coursework includes didactic, laboratory and clinical courses. The program will be competency-based, which means graduates will have to complete a specific number of competency exams at the clinical site for each clinical course and in order to sit for the national board exam.
Provide the following information for the program and for each concentration (some categories may not apply to all programs):
Currently, there are no other radiation therapy programs offered at a public institution in the state of Kentucky. An articulation agreement will be developed between NKU and KCTCS to define the course equivalency between the institutions. Students who choose to pursue their pre-program coursework at KCTCS will be able to apply and transfer to NKU.
Attach all draft articulation agreements related to this proposed program in the Proposal Toolbox .
The Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy at NKU provides students the opportunity to enter into a rapidly advancing healthcare field that uses state-of-the-art equipment and offers a fulfilling and promising future. The radiation therapy program is pending JRCERT accreditation.
Radiation therapists are healthcare professionals who administer highly focused forms of radiation to treat cancer and other diseases as prescribed by a radiation oncologist according to established practices and standards. Duties include reviewing prescription and diagnosis; acting as a liaison with the physician and supportive care personnel; preparing equipment, such as immobilization, treatment, and protection devices; Irradiating and imaging patients; and maintaining records, reports, and files.
Education for the radiation therapy student is an integrated plan of classroom, laboratory, and clinical education. In addition to regular classroom coursework, students spend an average of 20 hours per week practicing their skills at an area clinical site.
List courses under the appropriate curricular headings, fill in the table provided here [link to resource document to be provided] and attach in Proposal Toolbox . Then follow the directions below to create proposed curriculum in Proposal.
Step 1
There are two options to add courses for proposed changes: "Add Course" and "Import Course." For courses that already are in the catalog, click on "Import Course" and find the courses needed. For new classes that are in the Curriculog Approval Process click on "Add Course"-- a box will open asking you for the Prefix, Course Number and Course Title.
Step 2
Click on "View Curriculum Schema." Click on "Add Core" which will be the header for your course groups of the program. After creating the different sections you can proceed to assign courses in each header by clicking on "Add Courses" this will bring up the list of courses available from Step 1. Select the courses you wish to add and reorder as needed by dragging courses. For removing courses click on the .
Commonly used headers: Degree Requirements, Core Courses, Electives.
Complete the following only if the proposed program is an advanced practice doctorate:
The Radiation Therapy Program will have a positive impact on undergraduate education at NKU because it will provide another option for students looking to major in a health profession at NKU. All health profession programs at NKU are selective admissions and there are several qualified students each year who are not accepted into a program. This program will provide another wayfor the university to retain students.
Fourteen sites from area healthcare organizations have been identified as clinical sites for the Radiation Therapy Program; University of Cincinnati, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, TriHealth, Good Samaritan in Dayton, OH, Mercy Health, Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Dayton, OH, and Oncology Hematology Care. These sites are located throughout the Cincinnati tri-state area. Each clinical site is at a hosptial or outpatient cancer center to ensure students have an effective and appropriate clinical experience.
Supply letters of commitment from each clinical site that specifies the number of students to be accommodated and identifies other academic programs that also use the facilities.
Proposed programs must respond to the needs of the academy and to larger economic and social environments. Thus, the institution must demonstrate demand for the proposed program. All proposed programs must address student demand. Programs must also address either employer demand or academic disciplinary needs.
Student Demand:
The student demand for the radiation therapy program at Northern Kentucky University is evident by the number of student program applications for both the former radiation therapy program at the University of Cincinnati (within 5 miles of the NKU campus) and the number of student program applications for the radiologic science program at NKU.
When the University of Cincinnati program was in existence, there were on average 50 qualified applicants for the 12 spaces available each year in the program. Generally, due to the limited number of spaces in the program, students often applied yearly 2 to 3 times before being accepted.
The radiologic science program at NKU is similar to the proposed radiation therapy program in that students in both programs are working in the field of radiation. The NKU radiologic science program has on average 60 to 80 applicants each year for a total of 26 spaces in the program.
Based on this and the letters of support from area clinical sites validating the need regionally for therapists, we are confident there will be significant student demand for a radiation therapy program at NKU.
Student demand of the program at the regional level is shown with the number of applicants for similar healthcare programs. Student demand at the state and national levels are comparable given the limited number of programs and selective admission into said program. There are only a total 6 accredited programs in the states surrounding Kentucky (OH, IN, TN, IL, MO, WV, VA, and NC), making student demand for a radiation therapy program at NKU quite significant.
The applicant pool for the radiation therapy program will be similar to those of other health profession programs at NKU. The majority of applicants would be NKU students or transfer students from the KCTCS system and other area colleges and universities (University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and other surrounding state public institutions).
Advisors for the College of Health Professions and faculty in the program and the department of allied health would participate in a variety of recruitment events sponsored by the Office of Admissions at NKU, area hospitals, and other educational institutions.
It is anticipated that the primary feeders for the program will be current NKU students and students attending KCTCS schools. Since NKU is a metropolitan institution, transfer students from the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College are likely to apply.
The maximum number of students in the program will not exceed 55 once the program has students in each professional year.
Student Starts
Fall 2017 1st yr
Fall 2018 2nd yr
Fall 2019 3rd yr
Fall 2020 4th yr
Fall 2021 5th yr
Class of 2020
15
Class of 2021
20
Class of 2022
Class of 2023
Class of 2024
Total
Retained Students
13
12
18
17
Totals
30
35
Total New and Retained Students
33
50
55
Complete the Projected Student Demand Estimate for the first five years of the program [link to resource document to be provided] and attach in Proposal Toolbox .
Employer Demand:
The University of Cincinnati used to have an associates degree program in radiation therapy. The program discontinued accepting new students in 2014 in preparation for the transition to a bachelors degree program. During the transition, the program was cut due to budgetary constraints. The previous program director at UC has shared nearly 20 letters of program support from employers of radiation therapists in the Greater Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky metropolitan area. These letters emphasize the employer demand for a radiation therapy program to ensure staffing at cancer centers are sufficient moving forward.
Graduates of the radiation therapy program will be eligible to sit for the national certification exam upon graduation. After passing the exam, students will be able to obtain entry-level positions as a radiation therapist.
According to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for radiation therapists is expected to grow by 14% over the next 10 years. Currently, with the closing of St. Catharine’s College (located in St. Catharine, KY), there are no radiation therapy programs in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. With the closing of The University of Cincinnati’s radiation therapy program in 2015, there aren’t any programs to prepare radiation therapists within a 100 mile radius of the NKU campus. Therefore, the demand for radiation therapists in the commonwealth of Kentucky and Cincinnati tri-state region is expected to be critical within the next 5 years. The hourly wage for a radiation therapist is between $26-58. This wage is often dependent on geographic location and experience.
Academic Disciplinary Needs:
Given there are currently no permanent radiation therapy programs in the state of Kentucky or greater Cincinnati area, a program at NKU is justified to prevent future shortages of radiation therapy professionals.
Similar programs:
A new program may serve the same potential student population, the proposed program must be sufficiently different from existing programs in the state or access to existing programs must be sufficiently limited to warrant initiation of a new program.
Identify similar programs in other Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states and in the nation.
If similar programs exist in Kentucky,
There are currently no permanent radiation therapy programs in the state of Kentucky. With the exception of the temporary radiation therapy program at Bellarmine University, there are no other radiation therapy programs in the state of Kentucky. As far as similar programs in the SREB, Armstrong Atlantic State University in Georgia has a Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy Program.
The proposed radiation therapy program at NKU will serve students in the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana given there are no other programs in this geographic region.
With the exception of the temporary radiation therapy program at Bellarmine University, there are no other radiation therapy programs in the state of Kentucky. As far as similar programs in the SREB, Armstrong Atlantic State University in Georgia has a Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy Program.
Given that all radiation therapy programs are selective admissions, there are often times 50-200 perspective students looking to complete a radiation therapy program but able to do so due to the limited number of programs.
The only other similar program in the state of Kentucky is the temporary program at Bellarmine University. The future of that program remains unclear and given it is a private institution and not close in proximity, collaboration is not anticipated at this time.
The resource requirements and planned sources of funding of the proposed program must be detailed in order to assess the adequacy of the resources to support a quality program. This assessment is to ensure that the program will be efficient in its resource utilization and to assess the impact of this proposed program on the institution’s overall need for funds.
The only anticipated financial resource needed to start and continue this program are faculty salaries.
Provide adequate documentation to demonstrate sufficient return on investment to the state to offset new costs and justify approval for the proposed program.
If this is an advanced practice doctorate, provide assurance that funding for the program will not impair funding of any existing program at any other public university.
Complete the Funding Sources, by year of program and Breakdown of Budget Expenses/Requirements tables for the first five years of the proposed program [link to resource document to be provided] and provide an explanation of how the institution will sustain funding needs, attach document in Proposal Toolbox. *The total funding and expenses in the table should be the same, or explain sources(s) of additional funding for the proposed program.
A robust Assessment Plan is required for programmatic accreditation through the JRCERT in addition to providing a method of continuous evaluation and improvement of the program. The program director will implement an Assessment Plan that is both systemic and ongoing; offering the opportunity to gather and analyze measured outcomes data to improve student learning. The Assessment Plan itself will be evaluated on an annual basis. The goals of the plan are dictated by the JRCERT.
For each assessment method, please provide direct indicators of achievement of program-level student learning outcomes and frequency of data collection:
1. Program Effectiveness Assessment Plan will be measured using various tools including: Annual performance on national certifying examination, program completion rate, evaluation of graduate's clinical skills by employers and graduates perception of how well the program prepared them for the employment.
2. Program Assessment Plan of Program Outcomes will also use multiple tools for each outcome including: Final check-off grading sheet for simulation lab, calculation sheets for monitor unit calculation, and copies of journal entry grades.
Both assessment plans will be linked to the program student learning outcomes and specific measures, tools, and benchmarks will be established to make sure the outcomes are being met.
The components will be evaluated annually.
The data will be collected annually.
Various assignments, surveys, and/or clinical evaluation tools will be identified as assessment tools and the data from those tools will be recorded.
The benchmarks to be achieved are largely determined by the JRCERT, the program accrediting body.
The assessment data generated by the assessment plan will be analyzed to determine the program's level of attainment of benchmarks identified for each program outcome as a means of continual and ongoing academic program improvement. The goals of the assessment plan will 1. continually monitor the effectiveness of the program, 2. Identify ares that can be improved upon, 3. Determine and implement a plan of action, 4. Evaluate the effectiveness of the plan of action, 5. Annually evaluate the Assessment Plan.
Teaching effectiveness will largely be measured by the pass rates of national certification examination (registry) graduates take to earn their certification in radiation therapy.
The national certification exam (registry) provides program directors with information regarding not only the pass rate of their graduates on the examination but also their performance in certain subject areas of the exam. This will give the program directly specific areas where education and teaching effectiveness can be improved.
Post-graduate success will be evaluated from the data of surveys. Surveys will be sent to area employers of graduates of the program to ensure clinical competence. Graduates of the program will also receive a survey obtaining information about their satisfaction with the program and employment status.
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