COUN 205: Pathways to Healthcare Careers

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2019
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 101.
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass

Catalog Course Description

This course explores various careers in allied health and medicine and is organized into five career pathways: Biotechnology research and development, diagnostic services, health informatics, support services, and therapeutic services. This course focuses on assessment, information gathering, and career research in the development of a health care career action plan. Careers include, but are not limited to: EMT, Paramedic/Fire Science, Biotechnology, Medical Lab Technician, Nursing, Pharmacology Technology, Dental Hygiene, Dental Assisting, Respiratory Therapy and Radiologic Technology/Diagnostic Medical Sonography. A separate module will be dedicated to exploring graduate level health care careers such as Medicine (M.D. vs. DO), Optometry, Pharmacy, Chiropractic, Podiatry, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Audiology/Speech and Language Pathology, Physician Assistant, and Nurse Practitioner. Emphasis is on values clarification, career information, research skills, individual skills assessment, decision making, communication, teamwork, inter-professional education and goal setting specifically in the health care field. The course also covers health care job trends, demand, salary, and education and licensure requirements. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Describe how personal values affect healthcare career choices.
  • Analyze career assessments as a resource for making healthcare career decisions.
  • Analyze the relationship between personality preferences and work environments.
  • Identify specific skills from past experience, school or work that could apply to a healthcare career path
  • Conduct occupational research on potential healthcare career fields and job titles.
  • Evaluate literature and web resources to develop a healthcare career path for market trends, personal values and skills compatibility.
  • Conduct informational interviews to gather current healthcare career information.
  • Identify personal passions, values, personality traits and assess the degree of occupational compatibility correlated to them.
  • Identify the ideal lifestyle correlated with personal career goals essential for living a balanced and satisfying lifestyle.
  • Develop a career plan for an occupation of choice relevant to health care, listing the appropriate classes, certificates, skills and experience required.
  • Develop team work skills required for effective collaboration between all health care professionals.
  • Demonstrates the importance of productive work habits and attitudes relevant in health care careers.

Major Course Content

  1. Values Assessment
    1. Values as they relate to healthcare career choice
    2. Influences on individual values (family, culture, religion)
    3. Role of values in contributing to a satisfying life and healthcare work environment
    4. Personal values and philosophies assessment
  2. Health Care Career Interest Inventory
    1. Interest inventories, evaluation and interpretation
  3. Personality Assessment
    1. Personality assessment test
    2. Personality traits desired in healthcare workers
    3. Soft skills necessary for patient care interactions
  4. Skills Assessment
    1. Skills assessment test to determine current skills set
    2. Skills set required for specific healthcare careers
  5. Health Care Careers
    1. Introduction to career resources
      1. Nursing
      2. Radiologic Technology
      3. Respiratory Therapy
      4. EMT/Paramedic/Fire Science
      5. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
      6. Dental Hygiene
      7. Dental Assisting
      8. Pharmacy Technician
      9. Personal Care Aid
      10. Health Technology
      11. Massage Therapy
  6. Health Care Occupational Data
    1. Career literature and web resources
    2. Labor market
    3. Economic trends and their effects on career choice
    4. Research methods and evaluation criteria
    5. Informational interviewing techniques as a resource for gathering career information
  7. Health Career Portfolio
    1. Evaluation of career research information
    2. Education and training needed for potential careers 
    3. Development of short and long term goals
  8. Understanding Your Personal Profile
    1. Envision the future by defining success and passion
    2. Utilize personality assessment to determine an ideal health occupation I
  9. Determine Lifestyles and Values to be Satisfied and Happy
    1. Identify life satisfaction goals
    2. Happiness factor
    3. Balance with career goals and lifestyle goals
  10. Career Plan
    1. Determine suitable health career occupation
    2. Educational pathway and plan to career choice
    3. Certificate, skills and experience required of career choice
  11. Development of Teamwork Skills
    1. Effective communication
      1. Listening
      2. Speaking
      3. Non-verbal
      4. Written
    2. Critical thinking
    3. Problem solving
  12. Productive Work Habits and Attitudes
    1. Resilience strategies
    2. Interpersonal skills
    3. Coping skills

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

With the information from your interview, write a minimum two-page reflection paper (11 or 12 point font, one-inch margins). You will reflect and summarize the information from your interview in your own words – please do NOT simply provide a transcript or Q&A from the interview only. • Indicate name and job title/company of the person you interviewed • Summarize the key points you learned from the interview • What information was most interesting and helpful to you? • What do you think and how you feel about the jobs/career field discussed?

Examples of Outside Assignments

Informational Interview Assignment You will conduct ONE informational interview with an individual who works in a health career field that is of current interest you. To prepare for the interviews, read about the facility, organization, and even the individual if possible. You will be able to ask more informed questions and can often find information online, especially on the company website. It is best to arrange a mutually convenient time (about 30 minutes) to speak with each individual in person or on the phone. Remember, you are NOT asking for a job but you want to be professional. Information on how to conduct an Informational Interview and suggested questions to ask can be found on pp. 199-203 of your textbook. You may also want to check out this great handout on information interviews: INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW (<---------CLICK) Here is an example of questions you can ask: • Tell me about your job. Is what you do differently in any way from what others in your occupation do? • Can you tell me about your background and how you got into this field? • What personal characteristics are required for someone to be successful in your job? • Can you tell me what your typical day is like? • How much job security is there for people in your field? • What other jobs could you do with the skills you have gained in this field? • What do you think the future holds for people in your occupation? • What are the biggest challenges in your job? • What are some likes and dislikes about your job or industry? • Are there many opportunities in your field? What should people do to get started? Other great sources you can use to prepare for this informational interview: Clarion University "Informational Interview" guide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (really good!) Kansas State Informational Interviewing Guide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. UC Berkeley Career Center Informational Interviewing (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Career Cruising (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. California Career Cafe (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. CareerOneStop (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture