NEWS & EVENTS

TOMS RIVER — Meeting the growing need for allied health professionals is one of the areas in which Ocean County College’s Workforce and Professional Education (WPE) excels. WPE delivers purposeful education in Healthcare, Business & Technology and Education, taught by industry-certified staff and instructors.

The aging population in the United States has created a demand and WPE is working hard to help meet it.

• The Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) course is the program’s most popular and prepares students for careers in this expanding field. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, (BLS) employment of medical assistants is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations this decade, and OCC’s program offers three certifications — phlebotomist, EKG technical and clinical medical assistant.

“Students may be interested in a mid-career change or be re-entering the workforce after a time away, or may be looking for a pathway into nursing,” says Justin Zutski, career pathways coordinator at OCC. “We have a diverse group in this program; one nursing student took this certification program just as a way to gain more knowledge in her field.” Graduates are in demand in hospitals, doctors’ offices and urgent care facilities. A high school diploma is required to register for the 4-month program, and scholarships are available to help cover some of the $4400 cost.

“Students are taught medical terminology, skill sets and more. They get hands-on training from skilled teachers,” says Gerald Mangino, manager of healthcare career programs. “We also offer externships, although they are on hold right now. We offer virtual information sessions and career days for students to allow different facilities to explain what they do.”

• OCC’s Pharmacy Tech course is taught by a veteran pharmacist; provides funding through a Healthworks Grant; and offers apprenticeships through a partnership with CVS. Growth in this field is expected to be above the national average for all careers over the next 10 years, according to the BLS.

“The beauty of this course is that students can go anywhere once they have the training,” says Mangino. “Shorter, condensed trainings are the wave of the future. There actually is a shortage of pharmacy techs right now, which is driving wages higher.”

“These training programs are a more cohesive way to begin a career or make a change,” adds Zutski. “Because they have a narrow focus, students get more out of the program in a shorter time.” WPE also offers certifications in medical coding, phlebotomy, veterinary assistant, EKG and many other related certifications. The next Pharmacy Tech course begins in March. Visit https://www.ocean.edu/programs-andcourses/?career-training-pageNum=2#career-training for more information.

The next CCMA course will begin on March 1.

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