Thanks to a new training program at the University of Hawaiʻi, school health aides across the state are receiving a higher level of support and training. Twenty school health aides serving Oʻahu public schools recently graduated from a new training program at Kapiʻolani Community College. They are part of the second cohort of the University of Hawaiʻi’s School Health Aide (SHA) Level I Program.
Hawaiʻi Department of Education Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi says, “This is the first time we’ve had formal training for our school health aides. They are doing it tuition free. It’s great!”
There are approximately 180,000 students in public schools in Hawaiʻi with 255 school health aides statewide. School health aides have a major impact on health promotion and disease prevention. The Department of Education currently requires a high school diploma, one year of experience working with youth and certifications in first aid and CPR for school health aides.
In 2013, the University of Hawaiʻi, and Departments of Health (DOH) and Education (DOE) began to collaborate for a higher level of support for school health aides. Kapiʻolani Community College’s nursing department developed a 75-hour curriculum, which includes an instructor’s visit to each of the school health rooms to evaluate the student’s level of competency as a school health aide. At the completion of the course, students receive a certificate of competency. The new curriculum helps to standardize training across the state. It has also opened new career pathways to health-related degree programs throughout the University of Hawaiʻi System.
The first graduates of the School Health Aide Program completed the training in the summer of 2014. Jefferson Elementary School Health Aide Helena Diones was in that group and is working on becoming a certified nurses aide. Diones says, “It has opened doors for me to look beyond being a health aide.”
The DOH’s Joan A. Takamori, DOE’s Steve Shiraki and Kapiʻolani CC’s Paulette Williams wrote the new school health aide curriculum. The plan is to train all health aides statewide by 2018. In addition, the hope is to have new health aides take the initial training for entry into DOE employment as a School Health Aide.
Williams, who co-chairs Kapiʻolani CC’s nursing department, says, “The school health aides are there to provide an awesome service to the entire community and we at Kapiʻolani Community College are proud that we’re able to be a part of this and to be able to share this curriculum with all of the community colleges throughout the state.”
SHA program funding
Funding for the new school health aide training and curriculum was obtained through Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. Kapiʻolani CC Health Academy Dean Patricia O’Hagan wrote the grant for the SHA program, and is working with UH Maui College, Kauaʻi Community College and Windward Community College to deliver the curriculum.
The SHA and Community Health Worker programs were awarded about $1 million out of the total training amount of more than $12 million. The grant monies are also being used to develop a SHA Level II Program and revision of curriculum for the Community Health Worker Program, which will also be provided to the UH Community College partners.
