Whether you’re looking for courses to prepare you for employment or just want to explore special topics in healthcare, Richland Community College’s Health Professions division can meet your needs. Our offerings range from single-day courses to multi-semester programs with many options in between.
Health Science Pathways
Core Values for Health Professions
In the Health Professions division we demonstrate our core values in the following ways:
Commitment
- State of the art facilities
- Well-qualified faculty
- Dedicated staff & administration
- Foundation scholarships
Respect
- Of students & faculty in the classroom
- Of patients & families during clinicals
Excellence
As demonstrated by
- available student resources
- great results such as high credentialing exam first-time pass rates (overall pass rates)
- PN – 5-yr average – 96% (100%)
- Radiography – 5-yr average – 98% (100%)
- RN– 5-yr average – 90.6% (97%)
- Surgical Technology– 5-yr average – 100%
Accountability
Meeting or exceeding
- current students’ & graduates’ expectations
- program accreditation standards
- employers’ expectations
Diversity
- Recruiting diverse students & faculty
- Educating students to treat patients & families of diverse populations
Single Health Professions Courses Leading to Employment
HLTH 130 Phlebotomy (16 week)
Prepare students to perform phlebotomy techniques that include venipuncture, dermal punctures, special procedure techniques, medicolegal, infection control and safety aspects of the profession, and anatomy, physiology, and terminology of the body systems.
HLTH 141 Nurse Assistant (16 week)
Prepares students for responsibilities and duties of the Nurse Assistant as an important member of the health-care team, by ensuring training in skills related to patient care, Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia, ethical standards, and legal aspects in regard to the position of a Nurse Assistant. Students who successfully pass the Competency Evaluation Exam are added to the IDPH Health Care Worker Registry and are eligible to work as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).[/collapse]
Single Courses Exploring Health
HLTH 100 First Aid Training (two days)
Prepares students to make appropriate decisions regarding first-aid care. Students will recognize emergencies and how to respond in a way that best protects the victim until medical help arrives.
HLTH 110 Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (one day)
Trains students for Basic Life Support health care provider CPR certification according to American Heart Association Guidelines.
HLTH 140 Medical Terminology
Provides an understanding of vocabulary used in medicine, nursing, and all other allied health occupations. Students will learn structures, functions, and terms related to diagnosis, pathology, and treatments for each body system.
HLTH 197 Special Topics in Healthcare (various topics)
Students explore a topic of special interest in healthcare such as end of life care, cancer, neuro, and cardiac . The courses provide opportunities to explore a new area of interest. See the College Class Schedule for topics offered each semester.
HLTH 220 Nutrition and Diet Therapy
Designed for students in health care professions and food service programs. It includes fundamentals of nutrition, maintenance of health through good nutrition, diet therapy, and food preparation.
Certificates
Emergency Medical Technology (EMT-Basic)
One semester program designed to prepare individuals to provide emergency care in out-of-the-hospital settings to an injured or critically ill person. Students who complete this certificate will be eligible to apply for the EMT-Basic licensure examination.
EMT & Level 2 (EMT-Intermediate)
Two semester program designed to prepare individuals to provide emergency care in out-of-the-hospital settings to an injured or critically ill person. Students who complete this certificate will be eligible to apply for the EMT-Intermediate licensure examination.
Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic)
Six semester program designed to prepare individuals to provide emergency care and basic and/or advanced life support in and out-of-the hospital settings to critically ill and injured persons for transport to the nearest medical facility. Students who successfully complete this certificate will be eligible to apply for the EMT-Paramedic licensure examination.
Medical Assisting
The Medical Assisting program provides students with educational experiences to achieve entry-level knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to perform administrative and clinical duties of medical assistants in ambulatory care facilities such as physicians’ offices, clinics, and outpatient care centers. The program is three semesters in length. It begins in the fall semester of each year and students complete the program at the end of summer semester. The program prepares students to take a national medical assistant certification exam.
Practical Nursing*
Prepares students to provide nursing care to clients at the bedside under the direction of a registered nurse or licensed physician. Graduates of this program are eligible to take the NCLEX PN licensure exam and apply for licensure as an LPN.
* Denotes selective admission program. See selective admission process.
AAS Degrees
AD Nursing * including LPN Bridge
Selective admission program that prepares competent, caring, and critically thinking graduates to provide safe nursing care to clients in a variety of health care settings. Graduates of this program are eligible to take the NCLEX RN licensure exam and apply for licensure as an RN.
Emergency Medical Services (Paramedic)
Prepares individuals to provide emergency care and basic and/or advanced life support in out-of-the-hospital settings to critically ill and injured persons, as well as prepare the patient for transport to the nearest medical facility. Students who successfully complete this degree will be eligible to apply for the EMT-Paramedic licensure examination.
Radiography*
Selective admission program that prepares students to safely use ionizing radiation to produce images of the tissues, organs, bones, and vessels of the human body. Graduates of the program are eligible to seek certification by examination from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT).
Surgical Technology*
Prepares students for entry-level positions to assist with patient care and related services in delivery rooms, surgery centers, and other settings that call for knowledge of asepsis by performing tasks that help to ensure safe surgical procedures. Students in the final semester of the program apply and take the National Certifying Examination by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA).
* Denotes selective admission program. See selective admission process.
Cooperative Education Programs
Cooperative Educational Program agreements with other Illinois community colleges allow Richland Community College District students to enroll in a vocational/technical degree and/or certificate not available at Richland. Admission to these programs is coordinated by the respective colleges. In the Health Professions Division, those cooperative education programs include:
- Dental Hygiene (Lake Land College, Mattoon)
- Dental Hygiene (Parkland College, Champaign)
- Medical Laboratory Technician (Kankakee Community College, Kankakee)
- Occupational Therapy Assistant (Parkland College, Champaign)
- Physical Therapy Assistant (Lake Land College, Mattoon)
- Respiratory Care (Parkland College, Champaign)