CSC pursues growing fields
College adds three health programs
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Tuesday, June 20, 2006
GALESBURG - Aspiring massage therapists and medical assistants can now complete certificate programs at Carl Sandburg College.The college has added the new programs, as well as an advanced certificate in nuclear medical technology, to its curriculum in response to an increasing number of job opportunities in healthcare fields, according to Elaine Long, dean of allied health at CSC.
Long said the college recognized a need for its new therapeutic massage program now that the state of Illinois requires massage therapists to be licensed and also because there has been interest in such a program within the district.
"We've had a lot of inquiries over the past several years," Long said.
About 15 students are enrolled in the therapeutic massage program, which begins with an introductory class in the summer and continues through July of the following year with courses in therapeutic massage techniques, anatomy, kinesiology and pathology, as well as in ethics and business practices.
"In the future, we may be able to take as many as 20 students per class," Long said.
The therapeutic massage program is designed to provide students with a strong health-care background as well as the skills needed to run their own businesses, although massage therapists are in demand at chiropractic and orthopedic offices, wellness clinics, hotels, spas and resorts as well, according to Long.
"It's a pretty wide-open field," Long said.
CSC will begin a medical assisting certificate program in the fall.
Long said the program, which trains students to do a variety of procedures in a medical office, was added to the curriculum because medical assisting is one of the fastest growing occupations in the country, with an anticipated 273,000 openings nationwide by 2014.
Medical assistants can perform administrative, clerical, clinical or laboratory tasks and the field is growing due to a nursing shortage, Long said.
"We know it's only going to worsen," Long said.
The college is accepting applications for the program, which has space for about 15 students per year.
Beginning in the fall, CSC also will offer an advanced certificate in nuclear medicine technology, for students who have already completed training in radiologic technology.
