Welcome!
The Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) is a national partnership of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) locals and healthcare employers such as Kaiser, the NY League of Voluntary Hospitals, Swedish Medical Center, and Cape Cod Health Systems. While helping unions and their employer partners meet personnel needs in demand occupations, H-CAP is also building a national collaboration of employers, unions, and educators for innovation and quality in healthcare career education. As new hospitals and unions join, the strength of their labor/management partnership also grows. H-CAP’s vision is to change healthcare professional education so it better meets industry needs for quality care and personnel.The first H-CAP phase pioneered an acute care LPN (LVN) to RN program with a distance learning component that was implemented on both the east and west coasts. Currently H-CAP is both promoting and helping to develop the following initiatives: - A distance learning LVN to RN program at Santa Monica College in California with the collaboration of the SEIU UHW training fund, Kaiser, and Catholic Healthcare West
- A new clinical assessment model for RN clinical education in Massachusetts utilizing a human simulation lab with the collaboration of 1199TUF, Massachusetts employers, and MassBay Community College
- A new work-based model of education focused on helping workers enter college while improving quality patient outcomes in Seattle, Washington.
- The adaptation for national dissemination of a model of universal, cohort-based program of general education and nursing prerequisites pioneered by the City University of New York and the 1199SEIU Training and Upgrading Fund
- The dissemination of models for increasing the clinical capacity of nursing programs
- The convening of forums to build stronger bridges between nursing and allied health educational programs and the healthcare industry
The following principles inform all the H-CAP initiatives: - Credit for prior learning and maximum articulation of prior post secondary credits
- Accessibility: for the incumbent worker - integrating on line, distance, and independent study
- Quality programs
- Industry-led: unions and their employer partners working together
- Improving the quality of clinicals by tailoring to the needs of experienced workers
- Addressing clinical capacity issues
- Support system: mentors, tutoring, counseling, etc.
- Recruiters/organizers to help recruit participants, inform new locals and employers
H-CAP provides an opportunity for participating unions, employers and their partnering educational institutions across the country to share their experience with workforce development, exchange best practices, and strategize on how to meet current and coming patient care crises in the healthcare industry. Employers and SEIU locals who are seeking innovative ways to fill shortages in demand occupations through quality, worker-friendly, and industry-driven training and education are invited to become part of this cutting-edge organization.
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