If you’ve ever dreamed of pursuing a career that focuses on helping others, healthcare may be at the top of your list. This fast-paced, ever-growing career path is both exciting and rewarding, though for some, can also feel intimidating at first. Where do you start? Will it take years to get there? Can you afford it? Put your hesitations aside. The good news is, you don’t have to spend a substantial amount of money and four years of your life in school in order to land a great healthcare job.

There are many exciting opportunities in the healthcare industry that you can achieve with an associate’s degree. You can turn your passion into a rewarding career, without putting your life on hold.

Goodwin College is one of the top career-focused schools in Connecticut, with many different healthcare degrees available to aspiring healers and caregivers. Let’s explore some of the options for associate degrees in healthcare, as well as the career outcomes that they can bring.

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)

Nurses arguably have one of the most rewarding roles in the healthcare industry, working one-on-one with patients in a variety of care settings. Believe it or not, an associate degree is the standard requirement for aspiring nurses looking to launch their career.

ADN programs offer both classroom and clinical learning experiences, helping to prepare nurses for active healthcare settings. Upon graduation from this associate program, students are eligible to apply for their Registered Nurse license. After earning an Associate Degree in Nursing and earning the RN credential, many Goodwin graduates go on to pursue careers in the following settings:

• Community Health Centers
• Doctors’ Offices
• Home Health Care Services
• Hospice Facilities
• Hospitals
• Long-term Care Facilities
• Nursing Supervision & Management
• Occupational & Industrial Nursing

Goodwin College offers the ability to complete the associate nursing coursework in as few as 20 months part-time! In consideration of student convenience, most classes are offered days and evenings. Clinical experiences (practical training in real-life healthcare settings) are chosen by lottery with day, evening and weekend options available.

Associate Degree in Medical Assisting

Medical Assistants work under the supervision of physicians and play a key role in an overall medical practice, helping with both clinical and administrative tasks. The day-to-day of a Medical Assistant is vast and versatile, and as a result, an associate degree in Medical Assisting is typically preferred by employers today.

In a Medical Assisting program, students gain the skills needed to be the liaison between the physician, the nursing staff, and patients. They can be found scheduling patients for exams; taking patient vital signs; performing EKGs; collecting and processing lab specimens; preparing patients for procedures; updating and filing medical records; and corresponding with insurance companies regarding patient matters.

At Goodwin College, Medical Assisting classes are offered both days and evenings, on-campus, online, and in a hybrid format. Students may take accelerated 7 1/2-week classes or standard 15-week classes. The College also has six class starts every year — so you can get started on your career at your convenience!

Graduates of our Medical Assistant program have gone on to succeed in the following roles:

• Billing Specialist
• Medical Assistant
• Medical Assisting Academic Advisor
• Medical Assisting Program Director
• Medical Assisting Program Externship Coordinator
• Medical Office Administrator
• Medical Receptionist
• Office Manager

Occupational Therapy Assisting Degree

Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTAs) work with patients limited by a physical illness or injury, an emotional disorder, a developmental disability, or the aging process. It is a fast-growing field with plenty of opportunity. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an associate degree from an accredited OTA program is all you need to launch a successful career.

Students in an Occupational Therapy Assistant school gain hands-on experience, learning from practicing Occupational Therapists and OTAs within a variety of healthcare and community settings. All OTA courses at Goodwin College are offered during the evening, and on weekends as a cohort model, so that you can still work full-time while going to school. Not to mention, you can complete your degree in just 16 months full-time.

Our OTA program prepares students to work in a variety of settings, such as:

• Alternative Communities
• Assisted Living Facility
• Geriatrics
• Homes
• Hospitals
• Nursing Homes
• Pediatrics
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Schools

Respiratory Care Associate Degree

The field of Respiratory Care is one that, quite literally, breathes life into the healthcare industry. Students who earn an Associate Degree in Respiratory Care perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to help improve patients’ breathing. This is a fast-growing field that is always in-demand of skilled Respiratory Therapists.

The Respiratory Therapist school at Goodwin College prepares students for the entry-level examination and the advanced practitioner level examination for Respiratory Care Practitioners, administered by the National Board of Respiratory Care. Students learn through a series of clinicals – training in hospitals, health centers, and private practices – as well as through courses in critical care, pharmacology, respiratory diagnostics, mechanical ventilation, pediatric care, and more.

Upon completion of the program and licensure, RT students have the necessary skills and knowledge to secure employment as a registry-eligible Respiratory Care Practitioner. While Respiratory Therapists are needed in almost every healthcare setting, many graduates go on to work in:

• Acute care hospitals
• Homecare settings
• Life Star air ambulance
• Rehabilitation and long-term care facilities

To help accommodate busy work schedules, classes in the Respiratory Care program are offered at night, on-campus, in a standard 15-week format.

Associate in Vision Care Technology

For those interested in helping others, it is easy to “see” why a career as an optician is such a great choice. Helping others improve their vision is a rewarding role to play in the healthcare industry. Goodwin College offers hands-on, technical optician training in our state-of-the-art optical laboratories and training store, giving students the skills needed to practice in the field.

From optical laboratories to private ophthalmology offices, Opticians can work in a variety of settings with the required associate degree under their belts. Licensed opticians may enjoy careers as:

• Independent business owners
• Contact lenses practitioners
• Optical laboratory technicians
• Ophthalmic sales representatives
• Optical industry business professionals
• Wholesale laboratory professionals
• Managers of ophthalmology/optometric practice

At Goodwin College, vision care students can also enjoy flexibility. Most of our optician classes are offered evenings and weekends, in a hybrid format, in a standard 15-week format.

Dental Hygiene Associate Degree

If you wish to take your career in the direction of dentistry, you can do so relatively fast by earning an Associate in Dental Hygiene. Goodwin College’s Dental Hygienist program is a great place to kick off this career path. Goodwin’s dental hygiene students train in a state-of-the-art dental clinic, honing their skills through simulation, and working with real-life patients as part of their program practice. This associate degree program is centered on evidence-based learning with theoretical foundation and hands-on coursework, preparing students to become leading dental hygienists.

Goodwin’s dental hygienist school offers a 6-semester program, in which students can get trained and working in the field in as few as 24 months. For added flexibility, day and evening classes are available in on-ground and hybrid formats.

Are you ready to start, boost, or reboot your career to help create a healthier world? Contact Goodwin today at 800-889-3282 or check us out online to learn more about our many associate degrees in healthcare!