Program Description

The Health Careers Certification course is a independent study program with a clearly defined plan of individual study. Each student will work with the instructor and/or counselor to complete a program "prescription" which will identify the program core and Career Pathway(s) the student will pursue. Curriculum will be presented in a LAP (Learning Activity Packet) format and will be facilitated by the instructor.

Program content will begin with a basic core of information that all health care workers need to know. Students will then complete Anatomy and Physiology and Medical Terminology (Level I, II, III) appropriate for the Career Pathway they select.

The Career Pathway will be selected from three options: Direct Care, Therapeutic Care and Medical Office Assistant/Health Information Management. After successful completion of each section of the Career Path, the student will sit for the appropriate certification test. Within each Career Pathway are one or more state or nationally recognized certification opportunities. Students would still be required to participate in basic skills enhancement in the Educational Enhancement Center and activities that encourage leadership development. Those who complete all available certifications in a Career Pathway could also enhance their success by completing LAPS that expand Core information or that complement the original pathway.

Length of Program

1050 hours

Eligible Students

This program is open to secondary as well as post-secondary students.

College Credit

Approximately 27 hours of college credit can be earned through Northern Oklahoma College.

Certifications

After successful completion of each section of the Career Path, the student will be prepared to sit for the appropriate certification test. Within each Career Pathway are one or more state or nationally recognized certification opportunities. Those who complete all available certifications in a Career Pathway could also enhance their success by completing LAPS that expand Core information or that complement the original pathway.

Certification options may include:

• Long-Term Care Nurse Assistant (CNA)
• Home Health Aide (CHHA)
• Medication Aide(CMA)
• ARC Community Safety & First Aid (CPR/FA)
• AHA Healthcare provider (CPR).

Verification of skill set competencies (PT Aide, Dental Aide, Pharmacy Aide, Massage Therapy, etc.) may be done on an individual basis with selected students.

Career Opportunities

The following career opportunities are possible after completing the program:

• Long Term Care Aide
• Home Health Aide
• Certified Medication
• Alzheimer's/Geriatric Care Training
• Restorative Care Aide
• Massage Therapy
• Dental Assistant
• Pharmacy Technician
• Clinical Medical Assistant
• Administrative Medical Assistant
• Veterinary Assistant
  

Helpful Attributes

The following are some of the skills and attributes that are desirable for individuals planning to enter the health care field:

• Dependability
• Positive attitude
• Empathy
• Ability to work effectively with a wide variety of personality types
• Organizational skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Understanding of fractions, decimals, percents, ratios
• Ability to read and interpret graphs
• Ability to perform basic word processing and Windows functions.
• Strong interest in working with people

Student who have courses such as biology, chemistry, and algebra may experience quicker success.

Student Organizations

The students are encouraged to participate in Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA).

Contact Information

For more information about the Health Careers Certification program at the Fairview campus, contact Mrs. Debra Button at 580.227.3708.

CLICK HERE to download a program brochure in pdf format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the brochure.

Visit the Instructor's Website!

HOSA Off to a Busy Start

The Northwest Technology Center Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) is off to a busy start this year. On October 4 th, the hosted a blood drive. The drive exceeded all previous ones at a total of 38 units of blood donated. HOSA will host another blood drive in the spring. Thank you to those who donated and participated in the blood drive. It was greatly appreciated.

On October 15 th, HOSA members volunteered their time to pick up trash along their adopted highway, a 2 mile section along highway 60 west of Fairview. They collected 23 bags of trash in efforts to keep our land grand.

The HOSA elected officers for the 2007-08 school year attended fall conference in Oklahoma City with 1500 other officers from across the state on October 16 th. This conference is to teach the officers about the office for which they were elected to better prepare them for their duties. HOSA will have a joint officer installment with other organizations from Northwest Technology Center in the fall.

Students enrolled in the afternoon class in Health Careers Certification at the Fairview Campus are (from left to right): Kayla Garner, Kala Richards, Amanda Collins, Brooke Beckner, Zach Classen, Robin Burnham, and Brittany Major.

Students Participate in Community Service Projects

The Health Careers Certification class at Northwest Technology Center has been busy this semester. The student organization, Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), has played a huge role in community services. HOSA has organized a couple of fundraisers to benefit the HOSA National Service Project, Autism Speaks. The students were able to turn in their donations of $632.00 at the "Walk for Autism Research" on March 31st at Stars and Stripes park in OKC.

Several students went that extra mile in attending and participating at the State Leadership Conference in OKC April 11-13th. Samantha McDonald honored NWTC by singing the National Anthem during the opening ceremonies in front of approximately 1500 HOSA members and affiliates. Samantha was also recognized with second place in Speaking Skills competition as well as the highest honor of the Merit Award for the National Service Project Recognition. These honors intitle her to participate in the National Leadership Conference in Orlando Florida in June of this year. Also recognized at the conference was Amber Carter for her achievements with the National Recognition Program. This honor intitles her to participate at the national conference as well. Cassandra Bisel received an honorable mention for her great efforts in the competition of Job Seaking Skills.

HOSA Students attending SLC (left to right): Jennifer Roberts, Samantha McDonald, Ashley Womack, Amber Carter, and Cassandra Bisel.

The statewide campaign for trash off day was recognized by the HOSA student on April 20th. The students collected a total of 30 trash bags along the two mile stretch on Highway 60 that runs along the south of the tech center. The students, along with their advisor Debra Button, participate in this community service twice a year.

Club Med Students Visit St. Mary's Hospital

Students in the “Club Med” Medical Explorers group braved the snowy weather and visited St. Mary's Hospital in Enid the end of January. The students are from Fairview High School, Canton High School and Northwest Technology Center and are interested in learning more about careers in the healthcare industry.

The event was entitled “A Day In The Life” and was designed to have students “shadow” a healthcare professional to find out more about specific job responsibilities and the skills that they use when conducting their jobs. Nineteen students participated in the day's activities.

	FHS Senior, Amber Carter identifies the heart on an X-ray in the ER Dept.  A Day in the Life of an RN.  Amber is planning to attend NWOSU and obtain her BSN.   She is currently enrolled in HCC and working on her CNA.
	Corey Cofer, FHS Senior, followed an RN in PCCU at ST. Mary's during "A Day in the Life".  He is using a pulseoximeter.  This is new technology used for taking vital signs.

“Club Med” is sponsored by Troy Hutchison, Sue Hull and Debra Button. This is the fourth year for the organization in Fairview and is designed to introduce students to occupations related to the healthcare fields. Most youth identify with nurses and doctors, but there is a vast variety of jobs to choose from, such as radiology, laboratory, rehabilitation therapist, or nutritionist to name a few. For more information on “Club Med”, contact Troy Hutchison at Fairview High School, 580.227.4446 or Debra Button at Northwest Technology Center 580.227.3708.