Upcoming Certificate Programs at Massasoit Lead to Healthcare Careers
Feb. 19, 2021 – Brockton – To help individuals jumpstart in demand healthcare careers, Massasoit Community College is offering two short-term, non-credit programs, which run from March to June 2021. The Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basic Certificate is being offered at no-cost and is designed to prepare students to function in the field as pre-hospital care providers. Alternatively, the Nurse Assistant / Home Health Aide Certificate leads students through the basic nursing skills needed in the profession, such as vital signs, personal care basics, bathing and feeding, record keeping, and responding to emergencies. Both programs will be delivered in a hybrid format, with in-person and online requirements.
Through classroom and hands-on training, students in the EMT Basic Certificate will learn how to manage emergencies in the pre-hospital environment including medical, traumatic, obstetric, psychiatric, pediatric, geriatric, and environmental emergencies. Students who successfully complete the program are allowed to sit for the Massachusetts and National Registry of EMTs Emergency Medical Technician certification exams. This is an entry-level program intended for individuals who are unemployed or underemployed who wish to pursue a career in emergency medical services up to the paramedic level.
“These certificate programs are perfect for individuals of all ages who want start their careers anew or expand their options,” said Melanie Haber, vice president of Corporate and Community Education at Massasoit. “Students in the EMT Basic program will also receive a monthly stipend to assist with transportation, child care, and other incidental costs.”
In the dual Nurse Assistant / Home Health Aide Certificate program, students fulfill their classroom hours through a combination of lectures and hands-on practical skills. Students also complete clinical hours in a long-term care facility with registered nursing instructors and receive the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hand-in-Hand Dementia training. Students must take and pass the state board examination to become a Certified Nurse Assistant.
The Boston Globe recently reported that because of the pandemic, many seniors are choosing to age at home, which has increased the demand for qualified and well-trained home health aides. Overall employment of home health aides and personal care aides is projected to grow 34 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
EMT Basic begins on March 8 and ends on June 30. The course runs Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with Monday and Wednesday classes taught online and Tuesdays and Thursdays taught in-person at our Middleborough location. Access to the internet and a webcam are required, and limited laptops are available for course use. For more information on the EMT Basic program and eligibility requirements, call 508-588-9100 extension 1987.
The Nurse Assistant / Home Health Aide Certificate begins on March 23 and ends on June 14. The course is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., with Tuesday classes being delivered through the video conference program Zoom and Thursdays in-person at Massasoit’s Canton Campus. For more information and to register, visit www.massasoit.edu/nurse-assistant.
The EMT Basic Certificate program is funded by the Department of Higher Education, in cooperation with the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.