Scott County Career Lift

Course Description:
With the need for prescription medications growing each year, the demand for pharmacy technicians is expected to increase rapidly. The Pharmacy Technician program prepares students to work under supervision of a licensed pharmacist carrying out duties such as assisting patients, filling prescriptions, and keeping pharmacy records.

Course Description:
This course covers both high and low pressure boilers used in steam and hot water heating, high-pressure, high-temperature hot water boilers used in heating or process installations, and small mechanical-drive steam turbines. With our comprehensive curriculum, you will gain the expertise you need to ace the boilers licensing exam, opening up new opportunities for advancement in your career.

Course Description:

This course pairs two foundational skills used across every health care setting. The medical terminology portion introduces medical terms and their meanings, including combining forms, word roots, prefixes and suffixes, and how those word parts build medical language. Students also learn common medical abbreviations and symbols.

The health care math portion builds the skills necessary to determine drug dosages. Basic math skills are reviewed, followed by proportions, the metric system and the apothecaries’ system, with a major portion of time spent solving drug dosage problems.

Together, these skills prepare students to move confidently into other health care training programs and to handle the documentation and calculation work required on the job.

Course Description:

The Phlebotomy Technician program prepares students to collect blood specimens from patients for laboratory analysis, providing the knowledge and skills needed for careers in outpatient and inpatient health care facilities.

Instruction covers medical terminology, anatomy and physiology as it applies to phlebotomy, safety procedures, customer service skills, an overview of laboratory processing, and blood collection procedures, followed by hands-on practice and a clinical experience with local health care partners.

Successful phlebotomists enjoy working with people, are attentive to detail, and have excellent manual dexterity. Needles and blood are a regular part of the job. Graduates typically work in hospitals, clinics, commercial laboratories, blood banks, plasma centers, home health agencies and public health clinics, and are eligible to take the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Phlebotomy certification exam.

Students must have criminal background check clearance and documentation of required immunizations.

Course Description:

The Welding Program offers a variety of training in different welding processes specific to our trade. Students will gain knowledge through theory in class and hands on experience in the welding lab. The major topics and welding processes will be covered in this nine-month course to ready the student for entry level positions in the industry. Subjects that are covered include: Shielded Metal Arc, Gas Metal Arc, Flux Cored Arc, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Processes Oxy/Fuel, Plasma Arc. Students will work with a variety of metals which include: steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Shop Fabrication, Blueprint Reading, Math, Visual Inspection, and Safety are covered in the curriculum.

Course Description:

This program prepares students for entry-level medical coding and billing positions with physician and clinic practices, hospitals, third-party payers and consulting firms.

Students learn diagnostic coding (ICD-10-CM), procedure coding (CPT and HCPCS Level II), the medical revenue cycle and insurance claims process, medical terminology, human diseases, and health information management. Coursework also builds a working knowledge of health care law and a full understanding of the need to protect patient privacy. Training uses a simulated electronic health record designed to industry standards, giving students practice abstracting patient information.

Graduates are prepared to sit for the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam.

Course Description:

This program prepares students to work with young children in child care centers, preschools and other early childhood and youth settings as an assistant teacher or paraprofessional.

Students learn about child development, guidance, professional relationships, nutrition, health and safety, cultural sensitivity, and techniques for promoting learning in young children.

Coursework meets Minnesota Department of Human Services educational requirements for teachers in a child care setting, and can serve as a first step toward lead teacher, center director or teacher licensure pathways.

Students must complete a Minnesota criminal background study.

Course Description:

The Dental Assistant program provides students with the essential skills and knowledge needed for a successful career in the dental field, preparing them to effectively assist dental professionals in patient care.

It combines classroom instruction with hands-on training to develop expertise in patient care management, infection control, dental radiography, dental materials, office procedures and assisting with dental treatments, including expanded functions delegated by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.

Graduates are prepared to work in a variety of dental settings and to take the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exam administered by the Dental Assisting National Board, along with the Jurisprudence exam through the Minnesota Board of Dentistry. Employment in this field typically requires successful completion of the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) and Licensed Dental Assistant (LDA) licensing exams.

The program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.

Course Description:

IT Essentials builds the foundational hardware, software and networking skills needed to step into entry-level information technology work.

Students learn to diagnose and troubleshoot common software, hardware and connectivity issues, and gain practical experience assembling and disassembling computer components. Instruction covers computer hardware and software, mobile devices, networking technology, virtualization, cloud computing, security and operational procedures.

The course prepares students for CompTIA A+ certification and for roles such as help desk technician, IT support specialist, desktop support analyst and field service technician.

Course Description:

This course covers the essential knowledge and skills required to identify, assess and reduce security risks in modern IT environments.

Students study a broad range of security topics, including threats, vulnerabilities and risk assessment; identity management and access control; cryptography and network security; incident preparation and response; and how to monitor and secure hybrid environments that include cloud, mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Students also learn to implement security controls that protect against a wide range of attacks.

The course prepares students for CompTIA Security+ certification, typically the first certification an IT professional earns, and for roles such as security administrator, systems or network administrator, security operations technician and cybersecurity specialist.

Course Description:

Sterile processors play a crucial role in health care. This program prepares students to work in medical facilities preparing the surgical instruments, supplies and equipment necessary for patient care.

Instruction covers decontamination, disinfection, sterilization, packaging and sterile storage of surgical instrumentation and supplies, along with identifying surgical instruments and their uses, the cycle of sterilization, aseptic technique, infection control, and the distribution and management of supplies to the departments that depend on them. Students train with actual surgical instruments and supplies, and coursework includes medical terminology and professional communication.

The work environment is dynamic, fast-paced and highly technical, and this role has a major impact on the smooth operation of surgical services. Graduates are prepared for entry-level sterile processing positions in hospitals, outpatient surgery centers and instrument processing centers, and an entry-level position is an excellent gateway into other careers within surgical services.

New sterile processors become eligible for the Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST) certification exam through the Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) after 400 hours of professional employment.

Students must complete vaccination requirements and pass a Minnesota Department of Human Services background study. Physical requirements include the ability to lift 50 pounds and stand for long periods.

Course Description:

This training pairs hands-on cooking instruction in a professional kitchen with industry-recognized food safety certification.

In the kitchen, students build essential culinary skills including knife techniques, meat and vegetable preparation, and core cooking methods, along with instruction in sanitation, nutrition and cost control. Students train in a state-of-the-art culinary lab and develop the real-world skills needed to work in a commercial kitchen.

The ServSafe Food Manager portion covers controlling pathogens, cross-contamination, time and temperature requirements, cleaning and sanitizing procedures, and personal hygiene, and prepares students for the ServSafe exam. Successful completion also allows students to apply for the Minnesota Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) certificate.

Graduates are prepared for kitchen and food service positions in restaurants, hotels, catering and corporate dining, as well as schools, health care facilities and senior living communities.