Developing new programs at Portland Community College's Institute for Health Professionals requires understanding the needs of Portland’s health industry. One particular area of the industry experiencing high turnover, expensive training, and a lack of qualified applicants: clinical researchers and clinical research assistants. The IHP team went to work and built its online clinical research program, offered during the spring. 

The fall semester of 2020 has shown so many institutions of higher education the challenges of running courses during the current public health crisis. COVID-19 has forced some difficult decisions about in-person classes and has challenged schools to offer many virtual or hybrid options that might not have existed before. Portland Community College does everything we can in order to keep our students and our staff safe, hoping to maintain a sense of normalcy while also creating a positive and educational experience for all.

Many of us who work in Portland Oregon's caring professions, from nursing to teaching to law to counseling, wish we understood more about how environmental factors and emotions are impacted by the physical features and chemical interactions of the brain. Whether your training took you in a more biological and chemistry direction, or a more psychological and sociological direction, wedding these disparate fields helps so many to explain and teach with their clients and students who want answers about why they feel the way they feel.

Portland Community College's (PCC's) Ayurveda training course together with the Yoga Health Training Program can help you explore new meaningful realms in life and work. The courses are relevant whether you are (or want to become) a massage therapist, nurse, nurse practitioner, or nutritionist. These courses enhance the practices for homeopaths, naturopaths, chiropractors, and medical doctors. The subtle body knowledge covered is invaluable to acupuncturists, physician's assistants or medical assistants, craniosacral practitioners, fitness professionals, and to any practitioner who needs continuing education credits  (PACE) with the National Ayurvedic Medical Association or other accrediting organizations. By discovering correct perception in life and understanding the relationship between Ayurveda and Yoga, you can experience more relaxation, energy and calm in the midst of life’s storms.

Becoming a functional nutritionist is an exciting and rewarding career. Many people look into nutrition as a career path after a passion for health, wellness, and intentional diet choices, but there is so much to learn about how food, exercise, and other elements of our lives impact the health of our bodies. At Portland Community College, you can pursue a year-long preparation program in Functional Nutrition with a cohort of like-minded students who are also studying through live, online classes. This course is approved by the National Association of Nutrition Professionals as preparation for the Holistic Nutrition Credentialing Board certification exam. 

Updated April 12, 2023

Some well-paying, career-worthy jobs require a lot of schooling, which can be daunting upfront. Paying for multiple years of school before you can begin earning money can feel like too high a cost and too big a risk. The good news is that many careers exist like a ladder, where you can begin work after conducting initial training in a few months. Then you slowly "skill up" by taking coursework and passing certification examinations to grow into roles with more responsibility and pay. 

More and more people are realizing that nutrition is a key factor in good health, and this is creating a demand for professionals who can provide guidance in how to use it to its fullest. This goes far beyond the idea of using food to control weight. Nutrition has been linked to conditions like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, digestive concerns, and more. It makes sense that while bad nutrition can increase risks, good nutrition can decrease them and may even help people heal from certain conditions.

Whether you've been in the field for a while or are just starting your healthcare career in nutrition, the Functional Nutrition Program at the PCC Institute for Health Professionals will provide many benefits to your career development. The program will not only provide you with a solid foundation to develop your professional nutrition career, but it will also prepare you for the Holistic Nutrition Credentialing Board or HNCB certification exam.

During the industrial era, it was enough for leaders to have a succinct and linear way of thinking, display a strong sense of authority, and to exude at least a dash of charisma. In today's world, however, we need leaders with a far more complex set of skills and attributes, many of which relate directly to interpersonal relationships. Work relationships are less and less a top-down and hierarchical matter. Instead, they are ever-more dependent on a fluid, creative, and team-oriented mindset.

Updated Feb. 13, 2023