Orientation for BC3’s Free Certificate Program Set for BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing

NEW CASTLE, Pa., Dec. 21 -- Butler County Community College issued the following news:

Butler County Community College has announced that BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing will host a Jan. 8 orientation for students seeking to enroll in a free, monthlong basic health care employment skills certificate program that begins Feb. 12 and will train participants for entry-level positions in Lawrence County's largest industry.

The 82-hour noncredit program will also be held at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, 2849 W. State St., New Castle, and will feature 42 hours of classroom instruction from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 24 hours of online instruction, six hours of lab, and employability training that addresses customer service, interviewing and resume-building.

Students at the two-hour orientation will receive contact information to schedule and attend a mandatory four hours of job shadowing in a hospital and four hours in a long-term care facility that must be completed before the first class. They will also learn about Blackboard, an online educational software program used for instruction, and complete an online health care interest and compatibility screening.

Topics in the program include basic medical terminology, basic medical law and ethics, dementia, mental illness, lifting and moving techniques, vital signs, medication, first aid, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, automated external defibrillators, diversity and family-focused care, according to Kelly McKissick, BC3's coordinator of professional education and certificate programs.

The program, which concludes March 12, is free to qualified participants as a result of a $252,000 state Department of Labor & Industry Strategic Innovation Grant.

Prior to the first class, participants must pass a drug screen and background check, which are funded by the grant.

Students can also earn certifications in CPR, AED, first aid, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance and have "a leg up with their resume to get into an entry-level position," McKissick said.

Entry-level positions could include direct care staff, caregivers and home-health aides for a health care and social assistance industry that as of November employed 5,868 workers in Lawrence County, the most of any type of industry, according to the state Department of Labor & Industry's Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.

The 345 health care and social assistance industries in Lawrence County also exceeded that of any other type, according to North American Industry Classification System data compiled by the state Department of Labor and Industry's Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.

For more information, contact McKissick at 724-287-8711, Ext. 8171 beginning Jan. 2 or email [email protected].