63 within the established Environmental Health program. Students earned an associate degree upon completion of the 21 month program of theory and practical field work. Laredo (Texas) Junior College received a United States Public Health Service (PHS) grant to train Sanitarian Technicians leading to a two-year associate degree beginning in 1971. In the same year, Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa offered a one-year diploma program for environmental health assistants. In 1972, Tulsa Junior College (Oklahoma) offered a two year program. In 1973, New Mexico Highlands University started a two year environmental health technician program that included an apprenticeship with the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Agency. Quincy College (Illinois) initiated an associate degree program in environmental health in 1973. Kirkwood Community College expanded its program from one to two years and the first degrees, "Associate of Applied Science in Environmental Technology," were awarded in 1974. In 1974, 15 students were graduated from Milwaukee Area Technical College's two year associate degree program. With all this activity in building two-year college programs for environmental health technicians, the National Accreditation Council for Environmental Health Curricula saw the need for standards and develped an accreditation program for the two year curriculum in 1973. The recommendation was made by Karol Wisnieski of the University of Massachusetts at the 1971 annual meeting of the National Environmental Health Association. John Fleming, Ferris State College, was appointed chairman of the two year accreditation program. In 1974, Richard Clapp of the Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, called for a valid task analysis for environmental health personnel, saying there was a market for environ mental technicians. Also in that year, NEHA President, Dr. Monroe T. Morgan, appointed a task force to promote and study the merits of states requiring an environmen tal health degree as a minimum requirement for employment as a Sanitarian or an associate degree in Environmental Health for technician positions.
Two year programs were accredited in 1974 at Ferris State College and at Staten Island Community College in New York.
Technician Certification
At the 1975 annual meeting ofNEHA, a program for "registration" of Environmental Health Technicians was outlined by Major Robert Fitz of the Uniformed Services Environmental Health Association. Subsequently, a NEHA committee was appointed to develop the details of such a program. At the 1976 annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, the Board of Directors adopted a resolution to establish the technician cer tification and a Technician Certification Council was appointed, with Dr. John Sam mons as chairman. The Council worked with the Professional Examination Service (PES) to have the examination prepared. Eligibility requirements were established and ap plication forms printed. NEHA advertised the availability of Technician Certification for nondegreed persons in the January/February 1979 issue of the Journal. In 1979, NEHA purchased the Environmental Health Technician examination from PES and undertook administration of the program. It was to be administered for the first time at NEHA's annual meeting in Milwaukee in July 1980. Applications had been screened and a proctor was present for test takers at the meeting. The lack of response prompted talk of revising the application and promotion techniques for the test. The
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