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College to launch 2 fast-track health programs

Wednesday, Jan 23, 2013
Loraine O'Connell

Seminole State's Phlebotomy Technician Vocational Certificate takes only 14 weeks to complete.

In response to high demand within the healthcare industry, Seminole State College of Florida will launch two new fast-track programs – home health aide and phlebotomy technician – starting in March.

The Home Health Aide Vocational Certificate is a 14-week program that prepares students to provide personal care based on a physician’s patient plan. Home health aides work in a variety of settings, including clients’ homes, small-group homes or larger care communities.

“Employment of home health aides is expected to grow by 69 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all other occupations,” says Dr. Angela Kersenbrock, associate vice president for the College’s School of Career and Professional Programs. “Workforce Central Florida has listed the occupation of home health aide as one of the five fastest-growing occupations in our community.”

The Phlebotomy Technician Vocational Certificate is a 14-week program that prepares students to work in medical laboratories collecting blood samples.

“Hospitals are now outsourcing a good deal of their blood work to independent labs, so that means there’s a high demand for phlebotomists in those labs,” Kersenbrock says. “And with an aging population, there will be a great demand for lab services.”

Phlebotomists also work in physicians’ offices, blood banks and clinics.

The Home Health Aide and Phlebotomy Technician programs are offered on the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus. The first course for both programs begins March 12. The new-student priority application deadline is March 1.

Each program costs approximately $575.

Kersenbrock says both programs are in response to demand within the industry and also from students, who are requesting more programs to help them move into the workforce in as little as three months. Fast-track options are being added in public safety as well, Kersenbrock says, including a 40-hour Private Security Officer program that starts in May.

For more information on the healthcare programs, contact Seminole State’s Health Career Programs Office or call 407.708.2050.

Seminole State’s healthcare programs combine the highest quality instruction with clinical experience in hospital and community settings. For more information, please visit the healthcare website.