St. Petersburg College’s Health Education Center offered its first Open House a month ago, which was a great success.

The intent of the event was to reach out to both prospective and current students who are considering a career in health care. Aside from “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 in Science – Health Sciences degree, who are pursuing a health program, might grow weary and question why they have to take Composition I, for example, to be a Dental Hygienist. Or, maybe there are those prospective nurses who question their understanding or impressions of the role of a nurse. Program representatives were available to speak to their 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 event provided an opportunity for students to learn about all the health programs St. Petersburg College offers.

Advice for students considering health care

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. Make sure you understand the essential functions of the chosen career.
• Have a plan B! Consider another career in health. What other careers interest you?
• Until the next Open House, feel free to sign up here and come for a campus tour!

Future Open House?

HEC will host another Open House in the future, so be on the lookout for more information about our next event.

In the meantime, if you are pursuing a degree in a health program, please make sure you speak with an advisor and know what is required for admission. That information can be found in the health program admissions guides.

St. Petersburg College offers several health programs and most are based on selective admissions. But what does this mean?

Getting accepted into a competitive health program

It means the college receives three times the number of applications compared to the available slots in most of the health programs offered at SPC.

You might ask, “What is meant by available slots and why are there a certain amount of slots?” Good question and rest assured it’s not personal. While there are many variables to the competitive nature of the programs, the biggest issue remains clinical sites. In other words, each hospital or facility, where students practice the skills they learned in the classroom, is only able to allow a certain number of students at a time.

Once you finally feel settled on a decision for a career in health, then comes the hard work – the anxiety of whether you will be admitted into a competitive health program as well as the pressures of academics and deadlines.

Here are some suggestions on dealing with (and getting ahead of) the competition:

• Speak with a Career and Academic Advisor at SPC’s Health Education Center
• Understand the eligibility requirements and competitive nature of your program of choice
• Find out about the application deadlines for the health program you’re interested in and the pre-application requirements associated with it
• Attend career events and information sessions offered by SPC and aimed at introducing you to the college’s health programs and employment opportunities

Health Education Center Open House

The next event for those interested in health programs at SPC will be held on March 20. Explore the many health programs offered at SPC at the Health Education Center Open House and find which one is right for YOU!

• $40 Application Fee waived if you apply at the event or online
• Learn about our health degree programs – choose the one that is right for YOU!
• See what services SPC Health Education Center offered to the community
• Speak with advisors about admission requirements
• Meet our highly qualified staff members and program representatives
• Tour of our facility at 7 p.m. (by reservation only)

RSVP online. For more information, contact Michelle Hampton at 727-341-3777.