How to accelerate your health-care career
Did you know …
… that Florida’s healthcare sector is expected to have the highest growth rate of any industry in the state over the next eight years?
Why? Because baby boomers are retiring.
That is great news if you’ve dreamed of beginning or advancing your career in healthcare! You see, an older population means an increased need for healthcare, and for healthcare professionals. And with boomers retiring out of the medical field, new openings abound.
What’s more, in Central Florida alone, an additional 1,000 baccalaureate graduates are needed every year to fill the demand.
Seminole State College of Florida to the rescue.
Seminole State College offers not one but two programs through which you can earn a BS in Nursing or a BS in Health Sciences. In fact, Seminole State’s Associate in Science degree in Nursing program is ranked #1 in the nation, out of over 1,800 nursing programs – and just had another 100% passage rate on the state boards!
Have you ever thought about earning your Bachelor of Science? If you have, now is the perfect time to advance your current career or jump-start a new one at Seminole State. To help you get started, we’ve outlined everything you need to know about the Nursing and Health Sciences programs.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program (RN to BSN)
In January 2018, Seminole State will launch a new Bachelor of Science program in nursing. The College decided to create this distinct program after consulting with local hospitals to determine what they needed most to help them serve the community.
The hospitals’ answers were clear: 1,000 more nursing graduates per year, and specifically, more students with a BSN who are qualified to move into more advanced nursing positions. Seminole State called on the resources of its renowned Associate of Science in Nursing program to create a new BSN program that will meet this growing demand.
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- How to Apply
The new BSN program is designed for those who have already attained their ASN degree or are working as Registered Nurses, or both, and who want to move up in the profession.
In fact, many local hospitals and organizations have offered their support of Seminole State’s new BSN program, and are encouraging their current RNs to earn their bachelor’s degrees while still working — with the goal of advancing in their position upon graduation.
Because of this, the program is uniquely tailored to each student based on where the student currently is, what the student wants to do, and the needs of their employing institution. Many institutions also offer tuition reimbursement to their RNs for furthering their education.
The curriculum of the BSN program builds on the knowledge gained in the ASN, with coursework focused on a wide range of topics, including leadership and management, community health, pharmacology, research, patient-centered care of vulnerable populations and health policy.
Apart from the clinical component (called a capstone), all courses are online, so the program is flexible to your schedule. The capstone is the final course in the curriculum and offers you the opportunity to work within the community to gain hands-on experience.
In the capstone, students use their new talents to work on a special project. For example, you might work in public health at the health department, or in community health at an organization such as Shepherd’s Hope or a homeless clinic.
If you already have general education credits, you can finish your BSN in one year. That means that you can quickly accelerate your career at your institution, or be prepared to pursue a new profession in fields such as nursing management, clinical specialist, education specialist, infection control, quality management, acute care, health navigation, community health, health coaching, nurse research, health informatics, or health insurance.
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences
With the health profession growing in exciting directions each year, a bachelor’s degree in health sciences opens the door to limitless career options and tracks. Seminole State’s BS in Health Sciences program launched last summer and is a great opportunity for those who currently work in the industry and those who want to enter it.
The program has six in-demand specializations:
- Clinical Science
- Community Paramedic
- Health Coaching
- Healthcare Management and Professional Services
- Respiratory Therapy and Clinical Leadership
- Simulation in Healthcare Education.
You can choose which direction is the best fit for your interests and goals.
What truly makes the core of this program unique is how students from all health science specializations come together to work and collaborate as an interdisciplinary team. For example, in this program you’ll regularly find therapists working with paramedics, health coaches in class with nurses, those on the business side of healthcare diving into hands-on roles, and so on.
Attending courses with students having varied specializations allows you to learn about the industry from many perspectives. But even more importantly, learning and working inter-professionally is an essential skill to master for the real world.
Working in medicine means you work as part of a team. When working with patients in a hospital, each professional plays a distinct and key role. It’s crucial that everyone cooperates and works in harmony. Each person must truly understand what the other members of the team do.
In addition to the interdisciplinary opportunities, the BS in Health Sciences program also offers specialized elective courses for each concentration, which allows students to focus on content designed to further expand their expertise in their chosen area of study.
All health sciences students also participate in a capstone project. The capstone provides an opportunity to apply everything learned in a real-world setting. You can even customize your capstone project to fit your future career interests, so there is plenty of room to get creative.
Current students are working on capstones ranging from a research report on the healthcare crisis in Syria to developing healthcare business models to launch as entrepreneurs, or participating in internships with local businesses supportive of the BS in Health Sciences degree.
This program has been open for only a year, but it is already growing rapidly because of its renowned curriculum and graduate success. It typically takes four semesters to graduate with a BS in Health Sciences; however, depending on where you are when you enroll, it’s possible to graduate even sooner. Most students enroll in this program part-time while also working.
A staff of industry professionals
Regardless of which degree you decide is right for you, you’ll be in good hands and receive outstanding support. The faculty and staff in both the healthcare and nursing programs have extensive medical industry experience, have worked in healthcare and know the industry inside and out.
More prestige, lower tuition
Seminole State’s nursing and health programs are renowned at the state and national levels, and graduates pursue exciting and fulfilling careers in the industry. But earning such a prestigious degree doesn’t mean you’ll be paying extra. The cost of tuition at Seminole State College is 30% less than tuition at other institutions.
More program and enrollment information
The BSN program launches in January 2018, but registration starts on October 2, 2017. Learn more about Seminole State’s new BSN program and how to enroll by visiting the program’s website.
For more information about the BS in Health Sciences program and how to apply, visit the program’s website.