Students explore other opportunities for enrolling in Health Science programs this fall

HANCEVILLE, Ala. — About two dozen students met with advisors from seven different Health Science programs at Wallace State Community College to possibly find a new route toward a career in healthcare.

Wallace State’s Health Science division held a Second Opportunity meeting for students who did not get into their first-choice program, giving them options for other programs they can enter rather than wait a year to re-apply.

Health Science Dean Lisa German said it is disappointing to the students who didn’t get in their first-choice programs. The purpose of the meeting is to present them with options they may not have realize were open to them or introduce them to programs they might not have considered or even knew about.

Billie Langley of Birmingham came to the meeting and visited with a number of programs. Therapeutic Massage is one that piqued her interest because of her original interest in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program.

“I think Therapeutic Massage is something that I can apply to,” she said. “When I did my observation, I had an occupational therapist tell me that therapeutic massage was a real process that they used and it would be a good idea to take some of those classes.”

Langley said she appreciated having the opportunity to come to the meeting, where she could hear about the programs in person. “I can find out a lot more here than I would have online by myself,” she said.

Sara Holcombe of Florence and her mother, Sandy, attended the meeting and visited with a number of the programs to learn more about options other than Diagnostic Medical Sonography, which was Sara’s first choice.

After hearing about the other options, Sara said she would be looking into Polysomnographic Technology (Sleep Lab) and Medical Assistant.

“I had my mind set on sonography, so now I’m just exploring,” Sara said. “It helped a lot just to see and talk with the advisors about their programs.”

“And it helped me realize that y’all really do care about your students, to show them there is a second chance; so, I was very impressed with that,” Sandy Holcombe said. “A lot of times, people just send out their letters and that’s it.”

The program directors and instructors also appreciate the opportunity to share about their programs with students interested in healthcare.

Donna Conn, director of the Health Information Technology and Medical Coding programs, said the Second Opportunity meeting is one of the more beneficial events held by the division each year. The number of new students she recruits varies each year, but it helps get the word out about programs that may not be as widely known as the others.

Students can still apply to programs that have openings this fall. Those programs include: Child Development, Emergency Medical Services, Health Information Technology/Medical Coding, Medical Assistant, Medical Laboratory Technician/Medical Laboratory Assistant, Pharmacy Technology, and Therapeutic Massage. Completion time for programs range from one to two semesters for certificates and up to five semesters for Associate degrees. Not all programs require completion of pre-requisite courses.

Classes for the Fall 2019 semester will begin Aug. 19. Priority registration begins July 8, with registration for all starting July 11.

For more information about the meeting or Wallace State’s Health Science programs, visit www.wallacestate.edu or call 256.352.8000.