A health care career is completely recession-proof, service-oriented, and never goes out of style. If you’re seeking to become a health professional in one of a variety of fields, consider a degree at a community college.
Why Community College?
Community colleges, rather than four-year public or private colleges, train you specifically to get a career once you’re done. Because of the career-focused learning you’ll receive, you will be specially placed to go on to get your master’s degree, should you wish to do so. Whether you’re looking for a career once your education is complete, or whether you want to continue with your learning, a health care degree at a community college is an inexpensive, local, eminently worthwhile way to pursue your dreams.
Degree Choices
Community college degrees in health care are varied, depending on what sort of work you want to do. Are you into hands-on service work? Perhaps you’d like to get a Medical Assistant degree. Rather do investigative, behind-the-scenes work? Medical Billing and Coding might be your thing. Massage or Physical Therapy are good choices for students interested in anatomy and working directly with the muscles and bones of the body. If you’d rather focus more on medical knowledge and less on medical practice, consider a degree as a Pharmacy Technician. If you want to do work in tandem with the legal system, consider Forensics. There are as many health care degrees as there are health care jobs.
Tips for Choosing Your Degree
When you’re considering a community college health care program, think about what job you want to see yourself doing. When you see yourself in four years, what work are you contributing to society? Look for a college that expressly teaches skills for that job. If you can’t find one, don’t despair! So many of tomorrow’s health care professions may not even exist today. Look through the courses offered by each degree or certification program at the college you want to attend, and see if they interest you.
It may be that you want to go on to get a medical degree at a traditional four-year college. In that case, consider the most standard community college health care degree, a Medical Assistant certification. Try to stand out in your class, through extracurricular activities and internships, so when you apply to a medical school you’re more likely to get in.
Possible Jobs Your Degree Will Get You
* Doctor
* Nurse
* Laboratory Technician
* Dental Hygienist
* Nutritionist
* Physical/Massage Therapist
* Home Care Assistant
* Speech Pathologist
* Occupational Therapist
* Pharmacist
* Claims Analyst
* Veterinarian
* …and many more!
Classes You’ll Need To Take
The degree you seek consists of many community college health care classes, including:
* Anatomy
* Biology
* Medical Ethics
* Information Systems
* Accounting
* Epidemiology
* Public Health
* etc…
In addition, depending on the career you seek, you may have to focus more on the hard sciences end, more on the body systems end, more on the financial aspects, more on the technological level, more on business, or whatever.
Conclusion
Seeking a degree in health care is one of the best career choices you can make. The community colleges around the country will train you well. Good luck and work hard!