If you’re looking for a career that offers job satisfaction, stability, a good salary and opportunities to advance — you can’t go wrong in health care.
More than half of the 20 fastest-growing occupations in Georgia are in health care, according to the Georgia Workforce 2016 Report published by the Georgia Department of Labor. It projects health services to grow by 97,170 jobs through 2016, and to account for a total of 435,000 jobs across the state.
On July 28, The College of Continuing and Professional Education at Kennesaw State University will host an event that features information about how to train for health care careers, as well as other employment paths. The college’s free Career Training Expo will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Busbee Center.
The expo will start with a general information session that will run continuously during the event. Participants can attend individual information sessions about the school’s programs, as well as meet with financial aid advisors.
“We’ll have at least one instructor from each program here who can answer questions about particular fields,” said Ann Vancza, director of professional development programs. “Our instructors often come from industry, and they know both the knowledge and skills students will need to learn in class, as well as what it’s like in the real job market.
“The specific information will help people decide whether their niche might be clinical, where they would provide direct patient care, or a more administrative job, where they would be dealing with insurance or records paperwork.”
Kennesaw’s continuing education programs include certificates for certified nursing assistants, phlebotomy technicians, EKG technicians, medical assistants, medical billing and coding specialists, pharmacy technicians, medical interpreters and personal trainers.
“Because our population is growing and aging, jobs will continue to be created in health care,” Vancza said. “For instance, more personal trainers might be needed for post-rehab patients after joint surgeries or strokes.”
A certificate will get you in the door in the health care field. Workers can continue their education to advance in their careers.
“Many certified nursing assistants go on to become nurses,” she said.
Some medical office assistants or billing and coding specialists go on to earn degrees in health care administration or health care informatics. The legislative mandate for health care providers to switch to electronic medical records by 2014 has created a need for health information technology specialists.
The college offers more than 40 professional certificate programs, both in bricks-and-mortar classes and online. Certificates usually take about seven to 16 weeks to complete, with tuition ranging from $899 to $1,999.
“With our certificate programs, we want to train people in particular skills that will prepare them to find a job in that field,” Vancza said.
To register for Kennesaw’s Career Training Expo and to learn about other careers that will be highlighted, call 770-423-6765 or go to www.ccpe.kennesaw.edu.
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