Decker School expands diploma applications and explores areas for development New graduate applications accessible in occupational remedy, bodily remedy, and speech and language pathology
After hiring Mario Ortiz as dean of the Decker Faculty of Nursing in 2016, Binghamton College began an formidable enlargement plan into the well being sciences, leading to plain development.
Inside three years, the Decker Faculty of Nursing grew to become one in every of three colleges — the Faculty of Utilized Well being Sciences and the Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences are the opposite two — within the newly created Decker School of Nursing and Well being Sciences. Throughout these colleges, six tutorial divisions (nursing, well being and wellness research, public well being, occupational remedy, bodily remedy, and speech and language pathology) serve nearly 900 college students pursuing levels, minors and certificates. 1000’s extra college students take Well being and Wellness Research programs to finish basic schooling necessities or pursue pursuits.
With this elevated programming got here a lift in school and employees, which now quantity greater than 130 and are nonetheless rising. Extra college students, school and employees necessitated more room, so the faculty moved to a 112,000-square-foot constructing on the College’s Well being Sciences Campus in Johnson Metropolis, N.Y. As well as, Decker’s Division of Advising and Tutorial Excellence considerably expanded to facilitate program development and supply extra help to college students, school and employees.
The adjustments haven’t ended there: Up to now yr alone, Decker added pathways for college students who need to change into bodily therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and public well being professionals, and it modified its diploma choices for superior apply registered nurses.
New (or modified) in 2023
Decker School welcomed its first cohort of 40 college students to the Physician of Bodily Remedy (DPT) program in June. This full-time, three-year program is delivered on campus and culminates in a medical doctorate. College students who full this system might be eligible to take a seat for the nationwide examination to change into licensed bodily therapists.
Decker has a program for practising OTs, too In 2022, Binghamton College launched a Submit- Submit-Skilled Physician of Occupational Remedy program. This program, delivered solely on-line, is for practising occupational therapists trying to earn a medical doctorate to progress of their careers. The Division of Occupational Remedy welcomed its first college students to campus in August when the Physician of Occupational Remedy (OTD) Entry-Stage Skilled program started. Open to baccalaureate-prepared candidates who want to change into occupational therapists on the medical doctorate degree, this system requires three years of full-time examine. Graduates are eligible to take a seat for the nationwide examination to change into occupational therapists. Binghamton is now one in every of solely two State College of New York (SUNY) establishments to supply an OTD diploma.
“The brand new medical doctorates in bodily remedy and occupational remedy are transferring Binghamton College one other step nearer to our imaginative and prescient of getting a complete well being sciences campus,” Ortiz says. “This exhibits that Binghamton has the power and the experience to supply these much-needed rehabilitation applications inside a premier public college.”
Decker’s Division of Public Well being expanded the variety of college students eligible for its accelerated diploma program in 2023. Now, college students from undergraduate majors at Harpur School that result in a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Superb Arts diploma can even earn a grasp’s-level public well being diploma in 5 years with the Harpur-Grasp of Public Well being 4+1 program. Graduates of public well being applications can pursue a variety of careers, reminiscent of emergency preparedness and response, well being schooling, illness prevention, public well being advocacy and group well being planning.
In line with a nationwide effort in nursing schooling to maneuver nurses towards larger ranges of schooling, the Decker Faculty of Nursing not provides grasp’s-level nurse practitioner diploma applications (the final cohort entered this fall). Beginning in fall 2024, Decker graduate nursing college students who want to change into nurse practitioners will accomplish that on the Physician of Nursing Follow (DNP) degree.
Ortiz explains: “We’re making this modification in accordance with suggestions from nationwide nursing organizations such because the American Affiliation of Faculties of Nursing and the Nationwide Group of Nurse Practitioner Schools, which have dedicated to transferring all entry-level nurse practitioner schooling to the DNP diploma by 2025.”
“Drugs, dentistry, pharmacy, psychology, bodily remedy and audiology all require or provide apply doctorates,” provides Nicole Rouhana, affiliate professor and director of graduate nursing applications. “Shifting to the DNP will put superior apply registered nurses (APRNs) — together with nurse practitioners, medical nurse specialists, licensed nurse-midwives and licensed registered nurse anesthetists — on par with different well being professions that require doctoral levels.”
Model new this fall
Rodney Gabel, professor and founding director of Decker’s Division of Speech and Language Pathology, started creating a grasp’s diploma program in speech and language pathology (MS-SLP) instantly after becoming a member of the College three years in the past. This system just lately obtained Candidacy Accreditation standing from the Council of Tutorial Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech and Listening to Affiliation. Candidacy Accreditation is a type of accreditation given to a brand new program whereas it develops and demonstrates it could actually present college students with the information and expertise wanted to change into speech-language pathologists.
× Job outlook The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections point out that healthcare employment will develop 13% from 2021 to 2031, leading to 2 million new jobs. Moreover, there might be an estimated 1.9 million openings yearly as a result of want to exchange retiring or departing staff. This chart exhibits just a few healthcare jobs and the BLS projections for his or her development by 2031. “The preliminary utility for candidacy standing obtained a constructive overview, and the positioning go to was an essential step for our program,” Gabel says. “Given the suggestions from the CAA website guests, we’re starting our strategy of recruiting our first cohort of scholars and are prepared to supply a high-quality graduate program.”
The MS-SLP program will start in fall 2024. It’s anticipated to draw appreciable curiosity primarily based on the large recognition of the undergraduate minor in speech and listening to science launched in August 2021.
Future prospects
Whereas Ortiz is happy with the progress, his imaginative and prescient for Decker School contains an much more expansive program lineup. He and College leaders are exploring the next areas for extra development.
Decker is inspecting alternatives to develop undergraduate and graduate applications within the well being sciences, doubtlessly including bachelor’s, grasp’s and doctoral diploma applications. Additionally being studied are the addition of a number of well being sciences minors, together with dietary sciences, train science, well being promotion, emergency medical technician/paramedic coaching and recreation remedy.
“For a few years, college students have been asking us for an undergraduate program in well being sciences,” says Lisa Hrehor, professor and director of the Division of Well being and Wellness Research. “And, from surveying college students within the Well being and Wellness Research minor, we all know that areas reminiscent of train science, athletic coaching, well being promotion and diet are in excessive demand.”
Feasibility research are underway to develop the DNP program to incorporate choices for these wishing to change into licensed nurse midwives (CNMs) or licensed registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). CNMs give attention to gynecologic and household planning providers and preconception, being pregnant, childbirth, postpartum and new child care. CRNAs administer anesthesia throughout surgical procedure or different medical procedures.
The school can also be investigating the viability of including a graduate program in forensic well being, which might put together graduates for careers reminiscent of working with victims, offenders or in medicolegal investigations. Forensics is a extremely sought-after program, evidenced by the recognition of Decker’s two forensic well being choices — an undergraduate minor and a complicated graduate certificates.
Additionally into account is the addition of a complicated certificates in emergency nursing for these already licensed as household nurse practitioners. This system would supply the schooling and procedural expertise essential to apply as nurse practitioners in emergency and pressing care settings.
