How Does the NHCSSP Work?

Figure 1 illustrates how the project is organized. As shown, WestEd is responsible for project management and the implementation of project activities. Working closely with WestEd is the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), which is charged with establishing project policy and providing input on project work. The PAC consists of major policymakers from across the nation who are responsible for the training and employment of health care workers. The NCHSTE (a national group of health science educators and business and association representatives) provides technical support and resources and will maintain the standards and other products in the future. Overall evaluation of project activities is conducted externally by MPR Associates of Berkeley, California.

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Figure 1 How Does the NHCSSP Work?

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Several groups and committees were involved in developing and reviewing the standards. Draft standards were first generated by Standards Development Committees using research summaries prepared by project staff. The second level involved three separate entities that were formally charged with reviewing and validating the draft standards: the Standards Review Committee, the Expert Ad Hoc Review Committee (by mail survey) and Health Care Delivery Site Focus Groups.

The third level of project participation, standards implementation, included 12 different health care delivery and education systems. Using the draft standards, these sites pilot tested various applications of the standards, such as curriculum design, program development, and assessment. Their role was to give feedback on both the organizational processes used in implementation and on intended, as well as unintended, outcomes.

The above structure was designed to ensure smooth and effective coordination of project work and allow for input from a variety of sources at various points in the standards development, review and validation, and implementation processes.