Growing Your Skills While Serving Others

Debbie Grant, Development Director

We often hear people say things such as, “I like helping others, or “I really want to help but don’t know how” and “I just wouldn’t know what to do.”  

If you really enjoy helping others and have a desire to work in the health care field, Goodwill has a great deal for you.

Did you know that Nashville has 56 health care companies located here? Did you know that the labor market has a shortage of skilled nurse assistants who can provide home health care and care at medical facilities? At Goodwill, we are able to help the labor market by training individuals to provide non-medically certified and certified medical care.

Goodwill Career Solutions offers a basic training program called, Health Care Initiatives, with a certified trainer who teaches basic medical terminology, how to take vital signs, and when you graduate you become certified in CPR and first aid. The training is free to our students and takes four weeks to complete. Our graduates have found entry level positions and began earning a paycheck within days of graduation from the training.

But Let’s Not Stop There!

Some of Goodwill’s students want to move up the career ladder in a health care occupation. By enrolling in a five- week certified nursing assistant’s (CNA) training program, you can become a certified nurse assistant and work in a hospital, rehabilitation center or other medical facilities managing patients’ long-term care or acute care.

Our first class is currently engaged in the clinical portion of their training at a local long-term care facility. By early December they will be ready to take the state certification test and earn a credential allowing them to work in a medical facility.

We have employers who have already contacted the program and want to interview our graduates for employment. We have a case manager who will help you with your application process and work with you on other concerns you might have related to training and work. She will help you with your job search, preparing a resume, learning how to complete the job applications and support as you practice your job interview skills. She will provide you with encouragement and stay in touch with you to help you feel supported as you start your new job.

Once you start to work you can identify other jobs in health care that might interest you and begin preparing yourself for taking that next step.

Get started in the medical field today, grow your skills, and help yourself to a better life while you help others.  If you are interested or need more information, call Sharonda Parks at Goodwill’s Career Solutions Center in Nashville at 615-346-1688 and get started on a successful career.  It’s never too late to grow your skills while you help others!

Career Scoop: Do You Really Need a College Degree?

AJ Helms, Career Counselor

I have clients ask me this all the time…. do I really need a college education to succeed? The short answer is YES. Not that you won’t succeed without one, but in a struggling economy and a tight job market what better way to make yourself stand out from the pack? There are a lot of variables to think about when considering college. How will I find the time? How will I pay for it? I don’t have four years to devote to school, is there a shorter program?

Not everyone is a traditional student so why would you look for a traditional college? Many people are discovering the advantages of career colleges. Career colleges offer many one-year and two-year programs to get you on your feet and moving in the right direction fast. One of the fastest growing fields is Healthcare, and career colleges are offering courses right now in your area such as Medical Assisting, Medical Office Administration, and Medical Billing and Coding, just to name a few. A Certified Nursing Assistant is another in-demand position and most of the programs only take 4-6 weeks!

Career colleges tend to be more flexible and understanding of the needs of the student as well. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd of a big university, but if you need that little extra of one on one attention, smaller class size, or even tutoring career colleges are there. There are financial aid officers to help you with all of your financial needs from tuition to books and supplies.

So what are you waiting for? Go make yourself stand out! A college degree is not as hard to come by as you might think. Go speak to an Admissions Representative today from the career college of your choice to see what they have to offer. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Learn about the training programs at Goodwill Career Solutions that will help you stand out in the job market.