Polk County Healthcare Workforce Collaborative

If you’re considering learning more about working in healthcare, and how to achieve those goals, be sure to check out PolkCountyHealthcare.org for more information! It’s a great resource for students looking to answer questions about their next steps and for educators looking to expose their students to the wide world of healthcare.

We had a fantastic event last week at our November Discover Healthcare Day! Thank you Des Moines Central Campus for hosting representatives from our 7 partners, as well as over 140 students from DMPS. Students had the great opportunity to hear from healthcare professionals about various roles in healthcare and hospitals. Students also had the chance to speak directly to representatives from our local colleges and universities about how to pursue their future in healthcare. Our next Discover Healthcare Day is in February. Go to https://lnkd.in/gWW_BGP3 to sign up!

That’s the end of our Radiologic Technologist Week! If you are interested in Mercy College of Health and Science’s associate degree program, which can be completed in 2.5 years, or if you want to learn about UnityPoint’s Certificate program that is held virtually on the first Friday of every month, please reach out to our Pathway Navigator Jennifer Wagner at [email protected]. The registration deadline for both programs is in January!

Kayla Yario is a former student of the UnityPoint Rad Tech Certificate program. Learn about her decision to make a career change and discover the rewarding world of Radiologic Technology! https://lnkd.in/gAcc5msr

Radiologic Technology is a wide field, with many focuses/modalities. These areas include CT, MRI, Intervention, Nuclear Medicine, Rad Therapy, and more! In fact, many Rad Tech’s have multiple areas of specialties which allow them to work in a variety of areas in a hospital.

How do you enter the field of Radiologic Technology? Well first this is a great field for those who have an interest in science and research, are good communicators and are comfortable treating illness and injury. Then, in Central Iowa, you can receive an associate’s degree from Mercy College of Health Sciences in Radiologic Technology, or if you already have an associate’s degree in another field, you can receive your Rad Tech Certificate from UnityPoint Hospitals!

Last week was National Radiological Tech week, so what better time to highlight the career of Radiological Technologist! Rad Techs typically work in clinics, hospitals and trauma areas. They use sophisticated imaging equipment and ionizing radiation to obtain medical images of bodies. The average expected income of Radiological Technologists in the state of Iowa is approximately $61,000. You can learn more about becoming a Radiological Technologist at PolkCountyHealthcare.org

The month of November is National Career Development Month! This is a time to promote professional growth and exploration, which is a great reason to work with the Polk County Healthcare Workforce Development! Reach out to us if you’re interested in a career in healthcare. We host career exploration days, hospital tours, in-class presentations about the rewarding career in healthcare, and 1:1 meetings to discuss educational developments.

Happy Halloween from the Polk County Healthcare Workforce Collaborative!