Whom Do You Trust with a Needle?
Eduardo J. Padron
President, Miami Dade College
September 11, 2008

Health care is on our collective mind. Politicians are once again throwing around ideas about reforming the system, while the actual health of Americans is slipping in international rankings. Employers are struggling to balance the benefit of health insurance with the bottom line, and patients worry that they cannot afford the care they desire. Hospitals wonder where they will find the next generation of nurses.

The good news is that the health care sector is growing, and students choosing this field feel very secure about finding and maintaining employment. People are generally living longer, which is also great news, but they require more care as they age. This shift towards a larger elderly population in the United States guarantees that health care jobs will continue to expand.

But doctors and nurses cannot handle the increasing demand alone; in fact, they provide the minority of health care services. The majority of patient care comes from the allied health professionals who clean your teeth, take your x-rays, draw your blood, and update your charts. The entire system, not to mention your personal health, depends on the competence of such technical specialists.

Miami Dade College (MDC) has a proud history of educating allied health professionals for more than 30 years. Our rapid growth has resulted in more graduates emerging from our program than from any other public institution in the nation. The community retains the benefits of these graduates, because the vast majority of graduates—more than 90 percent—remains and works in the area.

The greatest advancement in recent years in our health profession programs, and indeed in the entire college, is the addition of a baccalaureate degree in nursing. The first cohort of nearly 70 students began studies in January 2008, and enrollment is expected to double. This degree builds upon the college’s distinction of producing more nurses than any other institution in the United States.

What distinguishes the nursing program is flexibility and, of course, affordability. Students have the option of many online classes, and only one day a week is required on site. This fast-track program allows working nurses to advance within their profession in a relatively short time frame. Other nursing programs are also available on a part-time basis and as “bridge” programs in cooperation with other institutions.

Another fairly recent development is the internationalization of our programs. Since 2006, the Medical Center Campus has worked cooperatively with the Saudi Institute for Health Professionals, and this connection has resulted in the development of a six-week intensive institute designed specifically for Saudi students seeking capstone work to enhance their medical education. Another cohort of students will be arriving this academic year. In November, a new set of Russian students will be visiting to investigate various health professions and the U.S. system. Foreign physicians who have moved to the United States —and there are many in the Miami area—also seek out our alternative certification programs.

Students also travel abroad and locally to serve our diverse community. Professor Marie Etienne has led several short-term medical missions to the Dominican Republic, and next year’s trip will focus on dental hygiene. Closer to home at the Miami Rescue Mission, Professor Annette Gibson and her students provide screenings to hundreds of homeless people annually. Since 1997, Professor Bonnie Hammack has organized services for the elderly in HUD housing.

Perhaps the best hands-on learning experience that also serves our community is the annual health fair held each February. Everything is free, and hundreds of families line up to get vision and oral screenings, mammograms, and health education. Throughout the year, thousands of other community members enjoy free services through our clinics on campus that provide vision care and dental hygiene.

The newest health frontier is online, and MDC faculty members have posted hundreds of free lectures through iTunes U. Our faculty is always searching for new ways to enhance education, and I would be remiss if I did not mention the Physician Assistant program’s “brain bowl” team, which was this year’s runner-up in the national tournament. This level of performance by a “local” college demonstrates that anything is possible when students challenge themselves and faculty members really care.

High-achieving students bring new hope to health care. Health education at all levels provides the best hope for reforming our entire health care system. Miami Dade College is proud to lead the charge with many of the oldest and largest programs in the country that educate the people who will be caring for you, for children, and for the future.