When Gottumukkala Raju, MD, an endoscopist and professor of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition with the University of Texas MD Cancer Center in Houston first set out to establish a standardized endoscopy technician program in 2015, he was met with a wave of support from the university and physicians alike.
"'We want that yesterday,'" was the response from nurse managers at the hospital when asked if there was a need for a standardized endoscopy technician training program, Dr. Raju told Becker's.
Because a standardized technician program had not previously been established, a technician leaving their job for any reason could result in an unfilled position for months.
"In every unit, we lose technicians. There's no unit that will not lose technicians," he said. "And when you lose personnel, it's so hard to replace [them]."
Dr. Raju spent the next several years collaborating with the Coleman College for Health Sciences, a community college affiliated with the Houston community college system dedicated to healthcare, alongside other educators and clinicians, in order to establish such a program.
"We came up with a 35-credit-hour [program], out of which 19 credit hours are endoscopy," he said. "And we decided that we will make the program in such a way that anybody who's working doesn't have to stop working."
The program received approval from the Texas Board of Higher Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools so that students could transfer their credits to community colleges under the organization's purview.
The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy also created an associate membership designation for endoscopy technicians and other providers in similar roles, further bolstering the hireability of program graduates.
Dr. Raju sees the program as highly replicable, citing the ubiquity of community colleges in the U.S. and medical facilities in need of support staff.
"[Community colleges] have the infrastructure to educate students, and they supply the healthcare workers to the hospitals," he said. "It's not just doctors and nurses, right? They need so many other technicians to function. And [with] the knowledge level in the hospitals, they should partner with the community colleges, and that partnership will be a win-win for the hospital and the community college."
Perhaps above all, Dr. Raju sees the program as an untapped area of growth for future healthcare professionals.
"What I envision is if somebody joins a hospital system –– not as a nurse, not as an administrator, but as a technician –– I want to see a professional growth pathway for that," he said. "If I stay in a hospital system for 30 years… I should reach a level that I'm happy with."
He also believes that programs such as this could go a long way in preventing burnout among healthcare professionals and improve long-term career trajectories for medical staff.
"Why do we get burnt out? Because we keep doing the same thing, and there's no excitement, even if you learn [new skills], HR may not recognize that," he said. "But HR will recognize an associate degree. HR will recognize a BSN, because those are hard things for HR to hang their hat on. No amount of pushing by an endoscopist or a director, saying that, 'Hey, my technician can do all of these things. Can you increase the pay scale?' That usually won't work. But having a certificate, having a degree or a pathway, you are actually creating something that will help people."