AHE, Ohio State University Collaborate on New Academic Certificate in Healthcare EVS

The Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) announces that the annual EXCHANGE education conference will be held in Columbus, Ohio Sept. 24-27, 2018. This announcement comes with new details on AHE’s collaboration with Ohio State University to create the first academic certificate in healthcare environmental services within a hospitality management program.

Efforts kick-off with the launch of the first college level academic course, Introduction to Healthcare Environmental and Hospitality Services. The course will be a distance-learning course, making it accessible to both Ohio State students and adult learners, including AHE members. It will detail the application and discussion of healthcare business and analysis of critical healthcare areas in relation to hospitality components. Originally slated to be available in the fall of 2017, the course will now launch in the spring of 2018 to ensure greater reach and a more cohesive delivery of all elements of the program.

Program elements include an internship/mentorship program and the opportunity for students to attend EXCHANGE 2018. The internship/mentorship program is anticipated to be available in the summer of 2018 and will allow students to learn outside of the classroom, and gain practical experience in healthcare. A generous grant provided by the Columbus Visitors Bureau will allow for a select group of Ohio State students to attend EXCHANGE in Columbus next year and develop invaluable networking and collaboration skills.

“We are pleased to launch this program and allow students the opportunity to explore another avenue,” said Milos Bujisic, assistant professor in the Department of Human Sciences at Ohio State University. “With the addition of the internship program, students will be able to broaden their field of knowledge.”

“Our members have been inquiring about a formal program for an accredited university for some time now,” said Patti Costello, executive director of AHE. “This collaboration with the Ohio State University provides AHE the opportunity to give our members a program that validates their knowledge, and create a path for succession planning.”

Source: Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE)