“I love the F.A. Davis online products; they are robust and user friendly. And F.A. Davis has provided us with phenomenal support which makes them easy to implement.” Mary Link Director of Educational Leadership Midwest Technical Institute and Delta Technical College
“I’ve looked at a lot of online products and I like the F.A. Davis online products better than other publishers. The products are more robust and easier to use. And I really appreciate that they’re included in the cost of the textbook. Some of the other publishers sell their online products for an additional price and it becomes cost prohibitive.”
As Director of Leadership at Midwest Technical Institute (MTI) and Delta Technical College (Delta Tech), Mary Link has oversight for curricula on 6 campuses, ensuring their programs meet accreditation standards and deliver job-ready graduates. MTI has four campuses in Illinois and Missouri; Delta Tech has two campuses in Mississippi. Their Allied Health offerings include a Medical Assisting program that admits a diverse range of students with different backgrounds—from recent high school graduates to career changers. Their average age is 18-24. The Medical Assisting program is 100% classroom based and has about 375 students across all campuses. These students take either the Certified Medical Assisting (CMA) Exam administered by the American Association of Medical Assistants, or the National Certified Medical Assisting (NCMA) Exam administered by National Center for Competency Testing. The challenge: Low pass rates on Medical Assisting certification exams The four MTI campuses are accredited by CAAHEP where students take either the CMA Exam or the NCMA Exam; students on the two Delta Tech campuses take the NCMA Exam; and some students take both. The organization was seeking to improve their overall pass rates. “We strive for a pass rate of 70% but were falling short of that benchmark,” says Mary. “We understood that we needed to do something different.” The solution: A book plus online Medical Assisting exam preparation program Three months ago, the Medical Assisting program began using the MA Review: Exam Certification Pocket Guide text by Susan Perreira, MS, RMA from F.A. Davis, which includes access to Davis Edge, the online Q&A program. “Many students were already buying this on their own and seeing good results,” says Mary. The schools adopted the material for their externship students for the last module of their program prior to the students taking the CMA or NCMA Exam. The result: Pass rates are improving with the first cohort of test takers While it is early days, Mary and the team are starting to gather data. Initial results show that pass rates are closer to 70%, with one campus reporting a 74% pass rate. Moving forward, the school plans to incorporate the review product throughout the 35-week program. “Our program has 7 modules, and we will integrate the relevant quizzes throughout each module.” Students take the quizzes on their own and receive a participation grade; if they do poorly on a specific quiz, they can re-take it. “The online quizzes mimic the CMA and NCMA Exam experience and prepare the students for taking the actual exam.”
The challenge: Ensuring Med Term courses cover the content and competencies required by CAAHEP
Medical Terminology is a required course in the Medical Assisting programs. To meet CAAHEP accreditation requirements, the course must cover the basic structure of medical words, word building, and definitions, and students must be able to demonstrate correct usage of medical terms. The solution: An easy to implement and use print plus online solution MTI and Delta Tech have been using Medical Terminology Simplified by Barbara A. Gylys, BS, MEd, CMA-A (AAMA) and Regina M. Masters, BSN, RN, MEd, CMA (AAMA) and Medical Language Lab (MLL) from F.A. Davis for almost 15 years. Mary really appreciates that the combination of the book plus the robust resources in the online program allows students to review the material, take online quizzes, assess their results, and remediate in their areas of weakness. The result: A turnkey solution for achieving required CAAHEP competencies Mary notes that by using the book plus MLL, their program can easily achieve required CAAHEP competencies while allowing students to complete some assignments at home. Faculty are not required to use MLL in their classroom, but Mary says they are looking to make it a requirement in the future. “It’s so easy to use. Students can listen to a word; record themselves saying the word; and then send that to the instructor. It’s convenient and fun, and it saves time.” She also says that students are eager to learn using online products. “They want gamification and virtual learning; they want to be on their phones.” The F.A. Davis experience: Mary has had a great experience working with F.A. Davis. She praises the responsiveness of her Educational Consultant, the support provided by implementation teams, and the products themselves. “I’ve looked at a lot of online products and I like the F.A. Davis online products better than other publishers. The products are more robust and easier to use. And I really appreciate that they’re included in the cost of the textbook. Some of the other publishers sell their online products for an additional price and it becomes cost prohibitive.” Mary notes that F.A. Davis made it very easy to implement the Medical Assisting review product. “The technical support was fantastic. The team provided demos and training and they set up the entire course for us and showed us how to use it. It was seamless.”
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