LILLINGTON - Central Carolina Community College continues to expand its Healthcare programs to keep pace with the area's growing need for healthcare providers.

With the addition of a new degree program, Associate in Applied Science in Healthcare Management Technology, the college has taken its healthcare curriculum to new heights. The degree program is designed to provide students with the required skills for employment in healthcare business and financial operations.

The curriculum emphasizes planning, organization, the development of effective communication and managerial and supervisory skills. It also focuses on directing and controlling tasks related to healthcare organizations such as legal and ethical matters.

Equipped with this degree, graduates may work in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, medical offices, clinics, long-term care facilities and insurance companies. With a minimum of two years of administrative experience, they are also eligible to sit for various certification exams, including the Association of Heathcare Office Managers, the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the Certified Patient Account Manager, and others.

According to the state Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical and health service managers is expected to grow by 22 percent from 2010 to 2020, more rapidly than the average for all other occupations. With the construction of healthcare facilities booming along the U.S. 421 corridor in Lillington, the new degree program just made sense, said Drew Goodson, program director and chair of the Department of Business Technologies at CCCC.

"We aim to prepare students to work in the management and business areas of the healthcare field," Goodson said. "Our primary goals are to provide employees who can help turn the complexities of healthcare into opportunities for healthcare organizations and providers."

The Healthcare Management Technology degree program is also a good fit for the Business Technologies Department because the department is already teaching many of the business, accounting and medical office administration classes included in the A.A.S. in Healthcare Management Technology curriculum, Goodson added.

"CCCC has offered programs in accounting, business administration, medical office and office administration since 1971 and 1984 respectively," he said. "The A.A.S. in Healthcare Management Technology will not only help bolster the enrollment numbers in these classes, but require students to take only five additional courses over two years. In addition, the college has a qualified employee on staff, Lennie Stephenson, who has healthcare management training and industry experience. She has been a valuable resource in helping to launch the degree program."

Another obvious incentive for the new program is the college's newly constructed, state-of-the art medical sciences building located on the Brightwater Science and Technology Campus adjacent to Harnett Health Systems' Central Harnett Hospital. The college's Harnett Health Sciences Center, an $8.2 million, 50,250-square-foot facility, contains 10 instructional and simulation laboratories, auditorium, 12 classrooms, faculty offices, student study areas and space to provide continuing education programs for hospital workers. The two-story main building is connected by a vestibule to a one-story multi-purpose room.

The Center will house CCCC health care continuing education and curriculum programs, including Nurse Aide, Phlebotomy, EKG, Pharmacy Technician, Medical Assisting, Physical Therapy Assisting, and Associate Degree Nursing.

The Healthcare Management Technology students, who are located at the college's Harnett County Campus, in Lillington, will have the opportunity to visit and utilize the new facility. Once established in Harnett, the college plans to expand the program to the Lee and Chatham county campuses.

"I'm really excited about the Healthcare Management Technology program," Goodson said. "I believe healthcare management graduates will be prepared to enter the growing healthcare industry offering them great opportunities to both give back to their communities and better their lives. When members of the community can get their education, find a job, and contribute to the local economy without leaving Central Carolina's Chatham, Harnett, and Lee County service area, everyone wins."

For more information about the Healthcare Management Technology A.A.S. degree program, visit www.cccc.edu, click on "Programs of Study," or contact Martha Wolfenbarger at mwolf757@cccc.edu or 919-718-7232.