Students interested in a health care career now have two new ways to break into the field at Salt Lake Community College — without providing direct patient care.
This fall, the college's School of Health Sciences added a new Healthcare Sciences associate's of science degree with two non-clinical areas of emphasis: Health Administration & Finance and Public Health and Health Policy.
The additions expand a program that now includes 18 offerings under the health sciences umbrella, with careers such as nursing, surgical technician, respiratory therapist, certified nursing assistant and occupational therapy assistant. Many of those degrees focus on the clinical side — hands-on, patient care. The new pathways are built for students who want to be part of the medical scene but not provide direct patient care.
The Health Administration & Finance emphasis leads the business side of health care. Students learn to manage operations, budgets and compliance so clinicians can focus on patient care. It is essentially business administration with an emphasis in health care.
The Public Health and Health Policy emphasis is about understanding how diseases spread, and how society and public policy impact people's health. Graduates may end up in roles teaching people, improving public awareness about health issues and working in health equity so all receive better care.
The job outlook for these non-clinical roles is good, with between 12% and 15% projected growth by 2031 and a median wage around $80,000 to $85,000. Entry-level pay starts lower, and with experience, workers can make over $100,000.
Two major regional employers in Utah — U of U Health and Intermountain Care — came to the college to help build the program.
Both pathways are part of an associate's degree, which usually takes about two years to earn. The degrees are set up so students can transfer seamlessly into one of Utah's four-year colleges to earn a bachelor's degree in the same area, including health administration, public health or community health.
The non-clinical pathways also come with a redesigned science course. For students not interested in direct patient care, the college designed an anatomy and physiology class without a cadaver lab — avoiding one of the lab components that can intimidate people considering health care.
For students who want to become doctors and prepare for medical school, the college enrolls many who take their core courses there before applying to medical school. As long as students complete those core classes, they can earn any bachelor's degree on the path to med school.
Rather than completing general education requirements at SLCC and leaving without a degree before applying to a four-year school, students can finish their gen eds and leave with an associate's degree, then transfer. The degree improves students' chances to work in their field of interest while earning a bachelor's.
The most popular pathways for many of these students are an associate's degree in biology or in exercise and sports science, which set them up well to pursue a medical path. Some students also earn a clinical degree, such as surgical tech, to gain experience and reassurance before going on to medical school to become a surgeon.
For more information, visit SLCC.edu/hs.
