Considering a career in health care? Attendees at our recent Health Education Center (HEC) Open House received valuable advice from careers services at SPC. We far exceeded our goal of sharing with both prospective and current students the many options of careers in healthcare and their various pathways. Aside from the plain and obvious reasons of “opening up” the campus for all to meet with program representatives and other services; we also wanted to provide an opportunity for students to make connections between academia and the profession.

I imagine, at times, that current students in the Associate of Science – Health Sciences degree who are pursuing a health program might grow weary and question why they have to take Composition I to be a Dental Hygienist. Or, maybe as a prospective nurse, you question your understanding or impressions of the role of a nurse. Program representatives were available to answer questions about their respective professions and what it takes to do the job. Furthermore, because most health programs are competitive – meaning we receive more applications than the amount of seats available – this career exploring event provided an opportunity for students to learn about all the health programs St. Petersburg College offers.

The best advice to provide any student considering a career in health care is the following:

• Ensure you really understand what that profession does each day, in real life, and not based on what your friend told you or television shows portray. Each health program provides a list of essential functions or technical standards.
• Have a plan B! Consider another career in health, that still closely aligns with your strengths and interests, career services offers assessments and counseling to discover your strengths and interests if you aren’t sure.

Attend a campus tour, for dates, times and to sign up, go here: https://web.spcollege.edu/survey/10202