Find a career in health care
Plenty of programs await students at Fairfield's KVTC
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
Health care is a burgeoning career field. While the demand for workers in most fields fluctuates, the demand for health-care workers is consistently strong, said Warren Maxim, placement director at Kennebec Valley Technical College in Fairfield.
"The demand for health care workers in Maine and the nation can only go up," said Maxim, who has more than 30 years experience in job placement and has been at KVTC since 1996. "Advances in medicine and technology create new demands every day. Our population is aging, and older people need more health care. The baby boomers are beginning to reach retirement age. Not only will they need more health care, but many of today's health-care workers are boomers themselves and will need to be replaced."
Placement rates for 2002 KVTC graduates in nursing and in six allied health programs were 100 percent. The only exception was for occupational therapy assistants. "At last report, five out of eight graduates found jobs," Maxim said.
KVTC's allied health programs train medical assistants, emergency medicine personnel, respiratory therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapist assistants and health information technologists.
Maxim said the greatest demand is for nurses, followed by respiratory technologists and medical assistants.
Jim Peacock, KVTC career counselor, said that many students "overlook the therapies —respiratory, occupational and physical. People don't know what, for example, a respiratory therapist does. All three therapies offer highly skilled jobs for those who work well with people. Starting salaries are in the high 20s."
Each of the therapy fields expects a 4 to 5 percent annual growth rate over the next five years, according to the Maine Department of Labor.
KVTC presently offers the only occupation therapy assistant program in Maine.
KVTC offers two-year, accredited, associate degree programs in the seven fields. Tuition is $68 per credit hour. The number of credits required range from 64 to 77. Other costs include activity and lab fees, uniforms and books. Financial aid is available.
All the fields, except medical assistant and health information technology, require passing a state exam for licensure.
Maxim said KVTC graduates do well in the state exams. In 2002 every graduate of the nursing program passed the R.N. exam on the first try.
Marcia Parker, M.S.N., nursing program director, said students in the health care curriculums range in age from 18 to the mid-50s. "Although nursing recently graduated a 60-year-old," she said.
"Very few of our students complete their programs in two years. Almost 70 percent of the student body are part-time students who also have family and job responsibilities. Many students are retraining for a second career. Others say this is something I've always wanted to do," Parker said.
A few men enroll in the health care programs each year. "Those fields offer tremendous opportunities to men," Peacock said. "I tell them it's not a matter of gender, but of aptitude, personality and skill."
Barbara Larsson, R.R.T., M.Ed., allied health programs director, said, "Each of the different fields appeal to a different type of person. The fields vary greatly in the skills required. Some of them are fairly physical and some are fairly stressful. The amount of patient interactions also differs."
Health information technology, for example, involves little or no interaction with patients, Larsson said. Instead, excellent computer skills are needed to manage patient records, code for reimbursement and analyze data.
Successful graduates take a national certification exam to become Registered Health Information Technicians. Information technology, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is one of the nation's 20 fastest growing occupations in the United States.
The demand for nurses, however, far exceeds that of any other other health career field. According to Parker, last year KVTC received almost four times as many applicants as it had slots. It admits 40 students in the fall.
"Admission is now on a first-come, first-serve basis," she said. Those who do not get in are put on a list for next year's class.
Admission requirements include passing a nursing aptitude test. Those who have graduated from high school within the past five years can be admitted with Cs or better grades in algebra, chemistry and biology. Incoming students must also be computer literate.
Most students prefer to complete their entrance requirements by taking college level courses at KVTC in English, anatomy and physiology and math, Parker said. "They also take their general education courses the first year, then start on their nursing skills program the second."
Soon after completing a patient safety course and acquiring basic skills, nursing students start working in health care facilities under the guidance of a master's level faculty member.
Maxim, the placement director, said, "Think of it. As soon as students complete a two-year program and pass the R.N. exam, they can get jobs beginning at $18 or $19 a hour with pay differentials for nights and weekends. With a little experience they can be a charge nurse and earn even more."
KVTC graduates who are R.N.s can move into a bachelor's program at several institutions in Maine, including Saint Joseph's College, the University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine. Husson College also offers a R.R.N. to M.S.N.S. program.
"Nursing is a wonderful field because it offers so many opportunities nationwide and even worldwide," Parker said. "There is so much you can do. It's a great job if you like working with people."
Parker is gratified that so many students who enter the KVTC program are interested in working with adults and senior citizens.
However, sometimes nursing students, especially when they begin their "clinicals" or working in a health-care facility, decide "this isn't what I want."
"That's when they come into the career center," Peacock said. "Many people choose nursing because it is the only health-care field they are familiar with. We tell them about the other ones and may do some personality, values and career interest testing to help them find a better fit. We treat each case on an individual basis."
Peacock also teaches a one-credit course in Career Decision Making that is open to anyone.
After completing their KVTC studies, students are offered placement assistance "for life," according to Maxim. He talks to classes and conducts seminars about the on job search. He even offers practice one-on-one interviews. "Interview skills are very important," he said.
Every year Maxim sends a satisfaction survey to employers of recent KVTC graduate. The response rate is between 40 and 60 percent. "The satisfaction rate is even higher, approaching 100 percent," Maxim said.
Photo / DAVID LEAMING
Nursing instructor Jody Elias lectures students recently at the Kennebec Valley Technical College in Fairfield.
Photo / DAVID LEAMING
Students take notes during a class at Kennebec Valley Technical College in Fairfield.