The Portland Community College Institute for Health Professionals offers six entry level healthcare training courses that will get you hired. You can courses to become a certified nursing assistant, pharmacy technician, phlebotomist, sterile processing technician, medical coder, or a patient access specialist. Each course offers entry level healthcare training, which includes classroom and/or online lectures and/or lab training, and practicums to prepare each student for his or her healthcare career and the necessary exams for certification. This post will discuss each course in-depth.  

Updated May 3, 2022

One of the most critical questions to ask when exploring options for a new or changing career is what the day-to-day expectations of your new role will look like. After all, knowing what to expect as a patient access specialist or in any other entry-level healthcare career will help you know if the role is the right fit for you, and if you can see yourself enjoying your work and finding what you do fulfilling.

We understand that it can be confusing to know exactly which path in healthcare is right for you, so we’ve created this series to help you navigate your options. In this post, we’ll explore a day in the life of a patient access specialist.

Welcome back to our latest blog series where we explore a day in the life of various entry level healthcare careers. If you're considering a job in healthcare, this will be an excellent series to keep up with, offering a broad view for potential entry points into different roles in the industry.

Today's post is the second in our series, and we'll be taking a look at a day in the life of a medical coder.

Thank you for reading our first blog in our newest series: A Day in the Life! In this series, we’ll explore a day in the life of a number of different healthcare positions. Let's begin by taking a look at a day in the life of a phlebotomist, one of the programs offered by PCC Institute for Health Professionals.

Choosing a career in healthcare is not only rewarding, but needed! According to a recent survey, there is a healthcare professional shortage in America due to baby boomers leaving the field and healthcare professionals moving up to higher paying teaching jobs. This shortage of healthcare professionals is creating a real need for emerging healthcare workers. If you have ever considered entering the healthcare industry, there is no better time than now. The following eight tips for choosing a career in healthcare will help get you started today.

Are you interested in a career in healthcare? It can be confusing to find your way into healthcare careers, especially if you didn't dive into a medically geared education after high school. Don't let that stop you though! There are plenty of rewarding, well paying jobs that will allow you to help people, including becoming a phlebotomy technician (or simply a phlebotomist). The following article will tell you everything you need to know about what a phlebotomist does, why phlebotomy is a great first step, and how you can start your career in phlebotomy today. 

The income associated with medical careers is attractive, but not everyone has the personal time or finances to put towards four years of undergraduate school, then medical school, and beyond. You may be wondering, "Do I need a four-year degree to work in healthcare?" Technically, the answer is no, and this article will outline the opportunities available without a four-year degree as well as why planning for a four-year degree as well will increase your opportunities and income.

The healthcare industry is an integral part of the United States. We rely on healthcare professionals for the services they provide to both maintain our health and assist during emergencies. In recent years, a shortage of those working in the medical field has been observed and it is projected that opportunities will be available in the healthcare industry in the near future. This means there is a high demand for individuals who have the skill and determination to enter the profession for the improvement of overall health for those within the community.

If you’re new to online learning, you may have concerns that taking online healthcare classes might be too different from traditional classroom instruction. However, at the PCC Institute for Health Professionals, we design our online courses with student success in mind, taking care to discern which classes are best suited for online learning—and which are best delivered in the classroom. We do everything we can to make our healthcare classes as user-friendly as possible. We know that once you get familiar with our online learning, you’ll be amazed by how easy taking online healthcare classes can be!

Jerry Hutchison teaches the Basics of Sterile Processing at PCC CLIMB. Jerry just started teaching at the CLIMB Center in June 2015, but he can't wait to help people start their new career in Sterile Processing. Jerry has over 20 years of leadership experience, and is excited to be teaching such a new class. Read below to learn more about Mr. Hutchison.