NRCC News

Grant program helps NRCC students pursue health careers

Feb 23 2011

This is an archived article!

This article was published on Feb 23 2011 and was archived on Feb 24 2012. The information below may be outdated or inaccurate.

New funding available to New River Community College (NRCC) students is helping them pursue careers in health care. NRCC received the Health Information Technology Education (HITE) funding from a grant awarded under the President's Community-Based Job Training Grants, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. This has allowed the college to take current health care programs and degree offerings and infuse them with electronic medical records (EMR) technology.

"With a federally mandated conversion from paper medical records to electronic ones coming in 2014, the HITE initiative is playing a crucial role in allowing NRCC to purchase new textbooks, update existing course curricula and add new classes," says Peter Anderson, HITE grant administrator at NRCC.

This is an opportunity for those currently working in the medical field to learn the EMR technology as well as for those interested in entering a medical office career.

Three training programs are available at NRCC through HITE: an associate degree in Administrative Support Technology with a Medical Administrative Support Specialization, a Pharmacy Technician career studies certificate, and a Medical Office Assistant career studies certificate.

"HITE is a wonderful opportunity to receive training in the health care field," Anderson said. "And, students can receive grant funding for tuition and books." Additionally, Anderson notes that funding eligibility is not based on students' income levels.

To be eligible for grant funding, students must live or work in the New River Valley, have successful results on two career assessments and work with an academic advisor to establish an approved training program.

Those interested in applying for the HITE program can contact Anderson at (540) 674-3600, ext. 4369 or ptanderson@nr.edu . Summer course registration begins Tuesday, April 19 and fall registration begins Tuesday, April 26.