Why Choose a CT
Community College?
Thinking
About Your Future?
What can the Connecticut
Community Colleges (CCCs)
do for you? In approximately three months to two years,
depending on the program
you choose, you can be
prepared to fill a job
in the high-demand health care field. You can choose from over
20 allied health programs at the CCCs centering on key fields in
Connecticut’s
health care industry. Many
health professions require
direct contact with patients.
Others, such as Medical Coding and Billing or Pharmacy Technician,
require good customer service skills but no direct care responsibilities.
Some health professions require several years of education at the
Associate’s Degree level.
Others require only a
few weeks or months of
education and training. Most health care workers
have jobs that require
less than 4 years of college education. The
Nursing (Associate Degree)
Program is offered at 5
of the CCCs, with a common
four-semester curriculum
at each. You
can train to become a
registered nurse (RN)
or a licensed practical
nurse (LPN)
RNs
direct the care of LPNs
and nurses’ aides in
addition to developing plans
of care that they and others
follow. LPN (licensed practical
nurse) LPNs work under the supervision of a licensed professional
(usually an RN) and provide basic hands-on care that helps to improve
the health of generally stable patients. Graduates of both the Associate’s
Degree in Nursing (ADN)
and the B.S. Degree in Nursing
(BSN) take the same National Council (of State Boards
of Nursing) Licensure Examination
(NCLEX) for RN licensure. The 2005 CCC nursing grads had a 94% successful
licensure exam performance rate, well above the national average,
according to 2007 licensure statistics.
In 2008, registered nurses
in Connecticut earned an
average of $68,594/year.
New graduate nurses earned
an average of $53,376/year.*
Whichever path you choose, the Connecticut Community
Colleges have the right program
for you. Still not sure which
health career suits you best? Click
here for help. Need to sharpen your skills
first? In the Health Career
Pathways Certificate Program you
can discover your pathway
to degrees and higher-wage jobs by gaining
the foundation you will need
to succeed in health care
programs and professions.
Scholarships and Financial Aid are available
to those who qualify. Scholarships
are available for targeted
non-credit programs through
the Bridges to Health Careers
Initiative funded by the United
States Department of
Labor. See
Scholarship Contacts and Scholarship Application.
These targeted
programs are:
*U.S. Department of Labor.
