Want a new career that’s a little closer to your heart? Check out Santa Fe College’s Cardiovascular Technology Program at its fall open house and preview scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 21.
Prospective students and the general public can meet instructors, ask questions, and tour the different labs and classrooms at two information sessions held at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. in W Annex, room 113, at Santa Fe’s Northwest campus, 3000 NW 83rd St.
Partnered with the University of Florida and Shands Hospital, the Cardiovascular Technology Program trains students in four specialties: pulmonary functions testing, cardiac ultrasound, vascular ultrasound, and invasive cardiology. Earning an Associate of Science degree through this program takes two years or a total of five terms. The first three are spent in Santa Fe’s classrooms and labs, and the last two semesters take place in clinical rotations with affiliated cardiovascular or pulmonary laboratories.
Lab Manager Jennifer Weeks expects 50 to 80 visitors to pass through this year’s open house. The program accepts 45 to 50 people per year into the spring and summer terms, and applicants need no prior experience except the general pre-requisites required by Santa Fe College. While many of the applicants are young students entering Santa Fe, Weeks said the applicant pool is actually quite diverse.
“We have a wide variety of ages, but most of the students are older students coming back to school or going for the first time,” said Weeks.
Even in this tough job market, take heart: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for cardiovascular technicians and technologists will increase 24 percent through year 2018 due to the higher incidence of heart disease in the aging population.
As of May 2008, the average cardiovascular technician and technologist made $47,010 a year. At Santa Fe, the Cardiovascular Technology Program graduates about 50 students each year, and Weeks estimates that 80 to 90 percent of students graduate into jobs in the field.
“Our students usually have job offers from their clinical rotations. Most of them have jobs before they graduate,” said Weeks.
For more information call Jennifer Weeks at 352-395-5972 or email to jennifer.weeks@sfcollege.edu.
~ This press release is by Allison Griner, Communication Specialist, College Relations
CONTACT:
- Jennifer Weeks, lab manager, 352-395-5972
- Julie Garrett, for help facilitating your story, 352-395-5430 (office) or 352-870-2924 (cell) or julie.garrett@sfcollege.edu