"Workforce Education at Green River was VERY instrumental in allowing me to go back to school, and I'm grateful for all the assistance I received and continue to receive." - Genie L, Green River Student

"Make sure you talk to Workforce Education...They can help in many ways to make things go smoothly and make sense." - Chris S, Green River Student

"Workforce Education...will embrace you and lend a helping hand with open hearts." Elsie Q, Green River Student

"Workforce Education has been there for me since day one!" - Jenny S, Green River student

Aug 12, 2010

Popular Healthcare Programs

Here in Workforce Education, we meet a lot of students who are interested in healthcare-related training programs at Green River Community College. And for good reason - the employment outlook for jobs in healthcare is excellent. 

Three healthcare-related training programs in particular are especially attractive to new students.  They include the:
  • Practical Nursing Program (LPN),
  • Occupational Therapy Assistant Program (OTA) and
  • Physical Therapist Assistant Program (PTA). 
According to www.wilma.org/wdclists, all three pathways of employment - licensed practical nurse, occupational therapy assistant, and physical therapist assistant - are classified as "demand" occupations in Washington State, with mean (or average) yearly wages of $44,796, $53,614, and $49,049 respectively.

The students we meet with in Workforce Education who are interested in any one of these three training programs frequently ask, "How do I get started?"  It's a good question, and this post intends to answer it succinctly in three parts.

One, if you're interested in enrolling in either the LPN, OTA, or PTA program, do a little bit of homework by reading a detailed breakdown of each training program.  You can find these breakdowns on www.greenriver.edu/ (or you can click here for a shortcut). 

Two, you may want to consider taking a career assessment and speaking with a counselor at the college to determine whether your interests and strengths align with the rigors of healthcare-related occupations.  For more information on available career assessments at Green River, see our earlier blog post on the subject.

Three, attend an information session (or "info session," for short) at the college to learn even more about the specific entry requirements for each training program.  Green River offers three different types of info session - one for each training program - on a regular basis and they are facilitated by eminently qualified ed planners.  Interested in LPN? Click here to sign up for the next available info session.  Or OTA? click here.  Or PTA? click here. 

There you have it.  Do some homework, take a career assessment, and attend an info session at the college. Three simple steps you can take to investigate three popular training programs at Green River Community College.  Good luck!