A stethoscope resides on a clipboard in a hospital. (Adobe Stock)
As the state’s need for health care professionals continues to grow, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s Continuing Education Division has released several online programs to help close the industry’s professional gap, including training for phlebotomy technicians, medical laboratory assistants, and surgical technologists.
While the state’s population has increased, the number of trained professionals has not kept pace, hindering people from receiving proper health care and widening the workload of current health care professionals.
Dr. Jennifer Snell said there is a need for health care professionals in her home city of Jacksonville, Florida.
“Yes, I certainly feel the effects of the shortages,” Snell said. “For Jacksonville to have such a large black population, we do not have a single black dermatologist in the whole city.”
Snell said she’s happy to see FAMU is training future professionals in a variety of areas.
“It does’nt seem like we have enough people to meet the needs of so many people that need health care, and everyone plays an important role in it,” Snell said. “As a physician, I can’t do what a surgical tech or a phlebotomist does; every person that makes up the health care team is important.”
The program coordinator for the Office of Continuing Education, Jacinda Turner, expounded on how bridging the health care gap was the intention.
“We wanted to go with a vendor that specifically focuses on health care so that our students can get an even better quality of education and more opportunities to get in the healthcare industry,” Turner said.
Turner describes how the new health care programs can benefit traditional college students as well.
“People who are going into the pre-med, nursing field might even benefit from the courses that we offer as well,” Turner said. “It gives an entry-level insight into the healthcare field, and it helps you … work with patients, and the basic tasks of healthcare administration. It doesn’t cost as much as a traditional degree, and it’s a short education, so you can jump into the career and get hands-on experience.”
The new program has students ecstatic about the opportunities it offers. Ariyana Golden, a third-year psychology major on a pre-med track, expresses her joy for the new program.
“I really love that,” she said. “Being a doctor or a nurse isn’t for everybody; it takes a lot of time, and for some people, it’s not their passion, but they still want to be a part of the health field … I also like that it’s online; that way, it’s more accessible for students.”
Golden reveals that she would recommend the programs to a friend.
“If I had a friend in mind who wanted to do something that wasn’t a nurse or a doctor but was still in the health field, I think I would still recommend it to them.”