Meridian’s Practical Nursing and Radiologic Technology programs are two of the most in-demand the school offers. Each year, the Career Planning Center gets countless phone calls and emails asking what it takes to sign up. That answer isn’t as easy as it might seem, and we thought TRIO would be the perfect format to talk about what it takes to prepare for a career in these growing fields.
The Practical Nursing program accepts new students twice a year. Deadlines for applications are December 1 and June 1. Radiologic Technology accepts new students each June. While this may seem like a long time from now, students interested in these two programs are required to complete pre-requisites before they can be considered for admission.
This special edition of TRIO features program pre-requisites that you can fulfill right here at Tech. Dolores Cotton, Meridian’s Practical Nursing Coordinator, and Radiologic Technology Coordinator Tanya Vasso sat down with us to talk about what classes are required and the critical role they play in preparing for a career in health care.
As an introduction to learning the body’s key systems, the Anatomy and Physiology course sets the stage for everything that will follow in either the Practical Nursing program or Radiologic Technology. Not only does it help students become familiar with the structure and function of the body, it serves as the foundation for helping them in understanding when things aren’t quite right with a patient. This is key to nursing since the discipline focuses on the restoration of health as well as the maintenance and prevention that patients can do on their own.
For those interested in Radiologic Technology, Vasso indicated that understanding anatomy and physiology is essential for technicians because they needed to identify what is normal before they can recognize what is abnormal. She added that knowing what parts of the body look like to ensure the images they take will meet the needs of the radiologist.
Would you believe that in less than two months you can learn a second language that’s universally understood by nearly everyone in the health care industry? Welcome to Medical Terminology. This study of prefixes, suffixes and root words will help you understand and communicate the same language that you’ll encounter in textbooks, class and clinical settings. Medical Terminology is required for the Practical Nursing and Radiologic Technology programs.
Medical Math is required for admission into the Practical Nursing program. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve had high school or college math. Don’t worry, the Medical Math course will be the perfect refresher! You’ll review basic math including fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, proportions and conversions. Time will also be spent mastering the metric system. This won’t be your typical math course – it specifically focuses on how math is used in the health field.
Have you ever thought you’d like something, then found out that wasn’t the case once you actually tried it? Turns out you’re not alone. Cotton explained that is actually one of the benefits of having the Long-Term Aide certification.
Besides preparing individuals to work in long-term care facilities such as assisted living facilities and nursing homes, the course helps people determine if becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse is something they would enjoy. The certification course not only teaches students how to properly lift and move patients, it also covers critical patient care skills related to personal hygiene, safety, comfort, nutrition and patient exercise. Students must pass state and written tests to earn an industry certification. Because students entering the Practical Nursing program will have this credential, Cotton and the program’s other instructors are able to quickly introduce students to nursing skills.
Pre-requisite courses for the Practical Nursing and Radiologic Technology programs typically meet 6 – 9 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays or 5 – 9 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. New courses start each month. For those interested in applying to the Practical Nursing program in December, there’s still time to enroll.
If you’d like to know more about the pre-requisites needed for Meridian’s Practical Nursing or Radiologic Technology programs call 405.377.3333. For information about these programs and other career training options visit meridiantech.edu/programs. To find out about more short courses like these sign up for our monthly e-newsletter. View all of our upcoming courses in our digital catalog.
Cara Adney is the Marketing and Media Relations Coordinator at Meridian Technology Center.
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