Explore Degrees & Certificates

Explore the potential of the health care field

Learn about the careers in health care, gain necessary health technology literacy, and start the path to earning your credentials. 

What You'll Learn

Completion of the health studies certificate will count towards quality points in the Nursing application process.

Being able to discuss and analyze the latest trends in the healthcare industry is critical to your success as a healthcare professional.

You'll learn how to track these, develop your medical vocabulary for documentation, and learn the necessary computer skills needed for medical information work. 

We'll help you develop the critical thinking you'll need for working with health care information. We'll also teach you how to communicate in the different formats used in health care delivery.

 

Get Started Today

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Where You'll Go

Graduates of this program are eligible to sit for the National Association Health Unit Clerk Certification exam.

Immediately start your career as a health unit coordinator, medical receptionist, or a medical scribe or transfer your credits into a two-year program at OCC.

If you dream of being a nurse or a physical therapist assistant but need to work on your fundamental skills, this certificate will polish those up and get you ready for the next step.
 

Typical Salary

5 years after graduating

$43,000

Popular careers, growth potential, and regional demand for the past 12 months.
Career 10-year growth potential Regional Demand
Unit Clerks 0.3% High
Nursing Assistants 14% High
Medical Secretary* 32% High

Real Data from Central New York

  • Data reflect previous twelve-month period in the Syracuse Metropolitan Area and surrounding five-county Central New York region.
  • Salary gathered from SUNY Graduate Wages (data source: NYS Unemployment Insurance) unless otherwise indicated.  *Medical Secretary wages from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Demand is determined by the number of job postings in the region over the past twelve months. 
  • Occupational growth potential gathered from Burning Glass.   
I’m proud to be part of this school. This is a building block and foundation for where I’m going to go. Onondaga Community College will always be the place that led to wherever I go.”
- Allison Guzman-Martinez, ‘19
Allison Guzman - Generic OCC
Course Number (Credits) Min Grade Health Studies Certificate Health Information Tech AAS Nursing AAS Physical Therapist AAS

Surgical Technology AAS

 Paramedic AAS Health Science AS Healthcare Admin AS
First Semester
HPR 101 (3)   Intro to Health Professions           Required Required
LIB 110 (1)   Research Skills in Health Science              
CIS 100 (3)   Information and Computer Literacy Elective     Required     Required
BIO 121 C+ Intro to Biology Pre-Req Pre-Req Pre-Req Pre-Req   Pre-Req  
ENG 103 (3)   Freshman Composition and Literature I Required Required Required Required Required Required Required
HFA 204 (1)   Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation   CPR Required CPR Required   CPR Pre-Req    
Second Semester
HIT 101 (3) C+ Intro to Health Information Technology Required            
HIT 120 (3) C+ Medical Terminology Required     Required   Required Required
ENG 259 (3)   Professional and Technical Writing Elective            
CHE 151 (3) C+     Pre-Req Pre-Req Pre-Req   Pre-Req  
MAT 104 (3)   Quantitative Reasoning Elective AR     Required    
MAT 118 (3)     Required     Required     Required
PSY 103 (3)   Psychology Elective Required Required Required Required Required Required
BIO 171 (4) C+ Anatomy & Physiology I Course Sub Required Required Required Required Required  
BIO 172 (4) C+ Anatomy & Physiology II Course Sub Required Required Required Required Required  

 

Key:

  • AR= Admission Requirement; Student must complete or meet competency
  • Required= Required for degree completion
  • Elective = Course can be used as an elective

 

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