For more than five decades, Hudson Valley Community College has offered degree and certificate programs that lead to careers in the health care field. Degree programs like Dental Hygiene, Nursing and Respiratory Care, for example, have become so popular at Hudson Valley that many incoming classes are filled eight months before the fall semester.
To address the growing number of students seeking careers in the health care field, the college this fall will begin offering a one–year Health Sciences certificate program that provides course work in the basic sciences along with a concentration in health science areas.
With proper course selection, students who successfully complete the certificate can continue into one of the college’s health science programs, transfer to a four-year institution or enter the workforce in many entry-level areas within the health science field, such as home health care aide, health care administrative assistant, emergency medical technician, phlebotomist or EKG technician.
“Each year, we see many incoming students who are interested in our health science degree programs but they lack the requisite entry requirements or are closed out due to our programs’ popularity,” said Margaret Geehan, dean of the college’s School of Health Science and School of Liberal Arts and Science. “We also see many students who are simply looking for a way to gain the skills necessary for an entry-level career in the health care field. This program is aimed at both of those populations, and it’s broad enough so that students can specialize in a particular career area.”
Nationwide, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects careers in the health care field to continue faster than average growth for the next ten years. Health care provides a large and growing sector of the Capital Region’s economy as well. Large health agencies such as Albany Medical Center and Northeast Health are among the largest employers in the Capital Region.
Published: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 12:53:54 +0000 by e.bryant