Healthcare writing covers the gamut of medicine. it’s always an honor to create stories about healthcare professionals, from those just starting out to doctors in residency programs. My article for Conroe City Lifestyle highlights the many ways people can receive training right out of high school and begin their trajectory into medicine.
Local Healthcare Training and Learning Programs Open Doors of Opportunity
Article by Melanie Saxton
Photography: Provided
Originally published in Conroe City Lifestyle
For anyone interested in the healthcare industry, an abundance of nearby training is available in specialties as diverse as lab work, nursing, and medical residency. The urgent hiring needs in a wide range of fields make these careers and educational campuses worth considering.
Assistants, Technicians, and Specialists
USTMAX Center, a micro-campus of University of St. Thomas in downtown Conroe, offers Clinical Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy Technician, and Billing and Coding Specialist programs and prepares students for fast-tracked careers. Classes are structured so students can work during the day, attend school at night, and quickly enter the workforce.
“Students can look forward to potentially higher-paying jobs and earn a living wage. Often it’s a door opener for further training and medical careers,” says Senior Director Carla E. Alsandor, Ph.D.
The Phlebotomy Tech program spans intense three-and-a-half weeks, four nights a week, with each class four hours long. The Clinical Medical Assistant program runs for three-and-a-half months with classroom and clinical studies in the same location. In both programs, students practice the skills they are being taught with hands-on lab work. The Billing and Coding Specialist program is completely online, and all classes prepare students for a State exam and licensing.
“Our coursework is very affordable, which is another differentiator when compared to other programs out there,” says Alsandor. Prospective students can learn more at ustmax.com.
Local Nursing Programs
The University of St. Thomas also offers an Accelerated Bachelor of Science and Nursing (ABSN) degree at its satellite nursing school in Shenandoah on Vision Park Drive. Students can use their existing bachelor’s degree or college credits to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 12 months. The dedicated campus is conveniently located near medical buildings off I-45. Learn more at absn.stthom.edu.
Lone Star College-Montgomery at College Park Drive offers non-credit fast-track programs in Nursing Assistant, Clinical Medical Assistant, Nurse Aide/Certified Nursing Assistant, and Patient Care Technician. The Nursing Department also offers an in-demand, high-growth career track Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), leading to licensing as a registered nurse (RN). Licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) and licensed paramedics (LPs) can enroll in a transition program to earn their ADN or an Associate of Applied Science (AAS). Learn more at lonestar.edu/nursing-dept-montgomery.htm.
The Nursing Program at Sam Houston State University-The Woodlands Center, also on College Park Drive, is one of the most state-of-the-art in Texas. The BSN and the LVN to BSN programs are offered face-to-face, and the RN to BSN track is 100% online to accommodate working nurses. Learn more at shsu.edu/academics/health-sciences/nursing/.
Physician Training and Residency
SHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in Conroe (SHSU-COM) is located in the Grand Central Park Development and addresses the shortage of primary care physicians in East Texas. SHSU-COM’s student doctors participate in outreach programs in the City of Conroe and Montgomery County, such as a four-day summer camp for 30 high school students, teaching basic clinical skills to the 9th graders last spring, and participating in Miles for Meals Montgomery County, just to name a few. The medical school has increased its class size for the 2022-23 term. Learn more at shsu.edu/academics/osteopathic-medicine/.
Lone Star Family Health Clinic is a federally qualified health center offering a full spectrum three-year residency for 32 current residents who have graduated from medical school. Run by the Conroe Family Medicine Residency Program, it offers medical doctors and doctors of osteopathic medicine two unique, optional training tracts — “Medically Underserved” and “Obstetrical” for high and low-risk patients — in addition to traditional curriculum.
“Residents learn from the patient population, and faculty who oversee programs and curriculum are also healthcare providers,” says Courtney Galle, Marketing and Communications Manager. “Those completing residency can open their own practices or stay and become providers.” Learn more about this Nationally Recognized Residency Program at lonestarfamily.org/residency-program/.
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