Click here to enroll in the Health Careers Academy
High School students interested in Healthcare Careers now have new and enhanced options with the creation of a Health Careers Academy at Tri-Rivers Career Center.
“Tri-Rivers Health Careers Academy will prepare students for employment in exciting and satisfying careers and also prepare them to continue their education at two and four-year colleges with college credits and industry recognized credentials,” according to Emeline Kelly, Director of Nursing for Tri-Rivers Center For Adult Education. Kelly created the curriculum so students could gain an important foundation of knowledge and skills for health care careers.
The current Healthcare Professions program will become part of the Health Careers Academy. What the Academy adds is new health care tracks, said Kelly. “There will be additional industry recognized certifications, work-based learning, more college credits and if they continue on into the Practical Nursing program at Tri-Rivers Center for Adult Education, they will have completed prerequisites and have advanced standing.”
During students’ junior year, they will be in a Pre-Nursing program where they will have courses in Medical Terminology, Anatomy & Physiology, Math for Meds, Computer Applications, Nutrition, and Learning Strategies. They will also earn the State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA). “Passage of the STNA not only earns them college credit but also is one way to meet the new Ohio Department of Education graduation requirement,” said Sherrie Dunn, Lead Guidance Counselor for Tri-Rivers. “This level one program is also available as a Senior Only program, which means a student can come as a senior and complete the courses.”
For those who come as juniors, during their Senior Year—Level 2—they will select from two available tracks. The first track is Medical Assisting where they can earn their Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) credential, said Kelly. In this track they will take EKG Technician, Phlebotomy, OSHA Ten Safety & Health Administration, Basic Medial Billing & Coding, Computer Applications, Legal & Ethical Issues in Health Care. Many of these courses provide industry-recognized credentials.
Medical Office/Dental Assisting is the second track available. Students will earn their Medical Assisting Certification in this track while taking Medical Office Procedures, Infection Control & Communicable Diseases, OSHA 10 Safety & Health Administration, Dental Assisting Procedures, Computer Applications and Legal & Ethical Issues in Health Care. “We are excited to offer Dental Assisting,” said Dunn. “We know from talking to students in our associate schools this is an area of high interest.”
In both tracks many of the courses offer industry recognized credentials, which puts students ahead of the game in their careers, said Kelly.
Because Health Care is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the United States, we believe the addition of a Health Careers Academy will serve our area well, said Kelly. “We are preparing students for careers that are in high demand.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, of the 30 fastest growing occupations in the entire labor market, about half are jobs in the health care fields. These are jobs that pay well and offer students who want to work directly or indirectly with patients many exciting options, said Kelly.
