Healthcare Facilities Leadership Update- September 2019
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Greetings KSHE Members! So much has happened since my last update. Since the official announcement of the Healthcare Facilities Technician (HFT) academic program, there has been major movement on two other very important areas of development for healthcare facilities technicians, apprenticeship and the Certified Healthcare Facilities Technician (CHFT).
In recent weeks, four different states have inquired about using the HFT competencies in part or full to establish apprenticeship programs. Each of these states has a desire to establish the first apprenticeship program for healthcare facilities technicians. A key part of our discussion is how the academic program can supplement the apprenticeship program for the required instructional time requirement of the apprenticeship program. Because the HFT competencies were designed as on the job training backed by codes and standards, they are easy to convert to the required hours for an apprenticeship program (typically around 2000 hours). A great benefit of using the HFT competencies for apprenticeship is that they can be converted to college credits for the academic program. To put this plainly, those who follow the competencies for apprenticeship can earn up to 8 credit hours towards the HFT academic credential, saving over $1500.00 of tuition.
On a directly related note, because of the rapid emergence of the apprenticeship and HFT programs, I have been very directly involved in establishing the Certified
Healthcare Facilities Technician (CHFT) certification. The CHFT Certification is being developed to establish a foundation for those who are working in healthcare facilities as technicians. It covers the following six pillars:
- Healthcare Departments and Special Features
- Infection Prevention for the Physical Environment
- Basic Medical Gas
- Basic Electrical and Electrical Equipment testing
- Basic Ventilation and Building Automation
- Life Safety
The CHFT is currently being piloted by approximately 30 organizations and 120 technicians around the country from September 19 through October 11 and is expected to be available to all healthcare facilities technicians January 2020. The CHFT will be NOCTI Certified and has been developed by a technical committee of healthcare facilities professionals who have worked as technicians and are now in supervision and management positions. It is designed to validate the HFT program and also any apprenticeship programs that use the majority of the HFT competencies. Those earning the CHFT will be able to submit for credit through the OCTC HFT academic program.
Look to take part in the October 17 @ 11:30 a.m. Central Time KSHE Webinar for more details.
That’s it for now. Lots of news to come!
Best,
Mike Canales, Healthcare Facilities Leadership Program Director
Mike.canales@kctcs.edu PH# 270 858 8142
