Issue 4
Externships boost career prospects
An expanded partnership between Westwood and DaVita Dialysis is allowing Westwood students to gain invaluable hands-on experience in the medical arena. And so far, for nearly a dozen students, the externship program has turned into full-time employment with DaVita.
The Westwood/DaVita partnership involves 10 campuses offering medical assisting programs in Colorado, Texas, Illinois and Georgia.
DaVita provides dialysis services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. It has 33,000 teammates nationwide, including 18,000 patient care technician jobs, which are excellent entry-level positions for Westwood medical assistants trained to perform back office/phlebotomy duties.
"This is another great example of how we work with the business community to provide real-world training for our students," commented Eric Goodman, Westwood chief academic officer. "This partnership allows our students to have hands-on training while still taking classes. And, hopefully, it will turn into full-time work once the students graduate."
Developed through a collaborative effort by Westwood's medical assisting faculty, Academic Affairs, Career Services, and Legal and Compliance departments, the DaVita partnership is further demonstration of WestwoodÕs support teams working to give students greater access to industry leaders.
For more information on this program, contact your medical assisting program chair.
Ear to the Ground
The latest on HLC
Westwood achieved candidacy status with the HLC in 2007, which involves a four-year timeline to complete initial accreditation. In 2009, we completed and submitted an extensive self-study to HLC. We then had visits by HLC peer reviewers at each of our 17 physical campuses, our online campus and at our Central Administration offices.
Westwood College was hopeful to receive HLC initial accreditation in an accelerated timeframe in 2009. Obviously, this did not occur. We await the final decision of HLC, which may come as early as the first half of 2010. Westwood College remains confident in our ability and 100 percent dedicated to achieving regional accreditation.
Since we began this journey, a number of administrative changes have occurred at HLC that may have contributed to the slowing of the accreditation process for Westwood and other colleges in the same position. One major change is that HLC has indicated it will require all institutions seeking initial accreditation to use most, if not all, of the four-year candidacy period to prepare for and obtain initial accreditation.
Westwood continues to be accredited by two national agencies, both of which are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and we remain focused on our mission to prepare students to launch, enhance or change their careers through their education.
We want to know what you're thinking
At Westwood College, we want to check in with our students on a regular basis. The Noel-Levitz® surveys are a powerful tool to assess what students find most valuable at Westwood and where there are concerns or areas for improvement. The responses we receive on the Student Satisfaction Inventory™ (SSI) and the Priorities Survey for Online Learners™ (PSOL) help us improve the quality of student life and learning across the Westwood College system.
On January 25, campuses will begin administering the surveys to a sampling of students.
The SSI will be given to those taking classes on-ground, and the PSOL will be given to our online students. If you are selected to take a survey, the administration is very simple. The surveys have been designed to be taken online, and they take only 10 to 15 minutes to complete. With just a few answers, we know more about how satisfied our students are, as well as what aspects of your Westwood experience are most important to you.
Thank you in advance to all of you who provide this important feedback. We appreciate your taking advantage of this valuable opportunity, as these surveys are an important part of Westwood's continuous improvement plans. Please make your voices heard!
Graduate Profile
Joshua McVey, 2007 Game Art and Design Graduate
In his job as a graphic designer for Denver television stations, Joshua McVey needs to be quick on his feet and thick-skinned. He has to use a variety of software programs to make quick-hitting, factual and understandable graphics for television viewers.
McVey credits his ability to work under pressure to his classes at Westwood. He says that while his teachers ultimately gave the final review of his work, the constructive criticism from other students in the class made him a successful designer.
"You have to realize that you aren't only showing your knowledge and skills to your professors, you are also showing these things to your peers," he said.
Like many Westwood students, McVey started taking night classes at the Denver South campus and worked during the day. For students still in school, his advice is to engage with the other students in your classes since, oftentimes, that's how you will end up getting a job.
"Network, attend get-togethers and definitely join a club," he says, adding that gaining skills and confidence in your work is equally as important to making connections through Westwood.
"Don't give up. And if you want to do a job, do it. No one is stopping you," he says. "You may not be getting paid, but at Westwood you are constantly building your portfolio and experience."
Job Tip
It's a new year, and it's time to focus on the new you, or at least a more focused you, when it comes to applying for jobs.
Job tip: Job-hunting experts recommend customizing your résumé for each job you're applying for. The basic information can be the same, but the top "experience" items should focus on why your skills meet the requirements of the particular job you're going after. Use examples and descriptive words or phrases to make your résumé stand out from the pack.
Campus Briefs
Online tutorials provide great resources
The Center for Teaching Excellence has unveiled Lynda.Com, a new software training resource. Lynda.com features over 42,000 online video tutorials available 24/7. Access is currently available for both online students as well as each on-ground campus. For Edline users, click on Online Training Library (Lynda.Com) on your campus home page under the "Links" section. For others, click on Training Lib (Lynda.Com) on the Westwood College Intranet site under Quick Links.
Faculty kudos
Richard Gianni, a senior faculty member at the River Oaks Campus, was recently honored by Purdue University Calumet as a winner of its Alumni Leader Award. He was selected based on his ongoing professional success. Gianni received his award during the 2009 Alumni Leaders Day at the Purdue Calumet campus in Hammond, Indiana.
On the Net
A grand and counting
The Westwood College Facebook page celebrated the New Year by breaking the 1000-fan mark. The page serves as an open forum for students, graduates, faculty and staff to share ideas, news and fun updates. Check it out, and be sure to sign on to get our Tweets.
Real stories from recent grads
Take a few minutes to watch the compelling stories of Westwood graduates talking about the importance of hard work and personal responsibility on this YouTube video.
Westwood College Online
School of Design poster competition
The Career Services department at Westwood College Online is partnering with the School of Design to launch a contest among design students to create art posters promoting Career Services. The three top winners will receive Best Buy gift cards ($75, $50, $25), and the grand prize winner will also have his or her poster used in Career Services' new internal awareness initiative. Design students-watch for an email by the end of January that includes guidelines and requirements.
Download this newsletter as a PDF