We often receive questions about exam scoring — how exams are scored, how passing scores are determined and what various scoring terms mean.

Today we're excited to kick off a new series that brings to surface the people and stories behind the NHA brand. Every month, we'll showcase some of the incredible talent we're fortunate to have on our team, and introduce you to individuals who are living our mission of empowering people to access a better future.

2019 was quite the year. We witnessed more people earning certifications for the first time as well as current certification holders recommitting to their professions through certification renewal. Our team's dedication and focus on our mission, empowering people to access a better future, led to the launch of Principles of Health Coaching™ and PharmaSeer™, PharmaSeer™ Math and in the prior year, TEAM Based Care™ — products that expanded our footprint and provided relevant solutions healthcare professionals and employers are asking for.

The Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) conference, "CareerTech VISION", was a wonderful way to close out 2019. We joined other leaders, educators and vendors in the CTE space to collaborate and learn through professional development. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of speakers willing to share their success stories and best practices, and left feeling optimistic about where CTE is headed.

NHA’s national pharmacy technician advisory board members are industry leaders that represent all facets of the pharmacy workforce. This episode of OnScript with NHA shares insights from within both the retail and health system pharmacy environments related to the expanded scope of practice. Co-hosts Jeremy Sasser and Jessica Langley discuss with these industry leaders key trends impacting the profession, such as professional development and career laddering opportunities. The discussion highlights the importance of elevating the roles of both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in tandem for the purpose of taking better care of patients.  All members of the team need to have shared goals associated with improving health outcomes, improving practice safety and medication use process in order to help the team work more effectively.

It's no secret, healthcare is always evolving. Legislation changes, expanding roles, and technology advancements have transformed healthcare. Despite the advances, this industry is learning to do more with less as health systems and private practices are trying to account for provider and practitioner shortages.

Allied health instructors play such an imperative role in career success: not only are you tasked with giving students prescribed knowledge and skills to take on important healthcare roles, but you're also helping students develop life skills that will help them succeed in all areas of their life — career and personal.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we'd like to take an opportunity to thank everyone in the NHA community — educators, employers, students and certification holders. We're grateful to our partners who help us fulfill our mission of empowering people to access a better future. 

I had the opportunity to attend the AMA Practice Transformation Boot Camp on September 18, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Physicians, care team members and health system leaders attended to learn successful team-based care strategies that promote professional wellbeing.

Success in healthcare requires more than clinical knowledge and technical skills. In high-touch healthcare environments where collaboration is critical, healthcare workers need to display essential skills. These skills make them more effective in working within a healthcare team ultimately helping patients achieve their health goals.