College Profile: Concorde Career Institute-Jacksonville

As a Dental Assistant, you will work chairside with the dentist, as well as in the dental laboratory and the business office. At Concorde, you will receive "multi-tasked" training, which means you will be trained in both clinical and administrative capabilities. Clinical responsibilities include sterilizing and preparing instrument trays, exposing and processing x-rays, conducting oral inspections, preparing patients for treatment, and taking vital signs. Administrative responsibilities include patient charting, appointment setting, completing insurance forms, accounts payable and fee collections.

In your position as an Insurance Coding & Billing Specialist, you play an integral role in your employer's office. You help make it possible for your employer to collect monetary reimbursements from patient insurance providers. You will assess patient records and classify levels of claims for reimbursement using detailed healthcare coding systems. Your work is essential to the success of your employer's medical business.

As a Medical Assistant, you will be an integral part of the healthcare delivery team. In this position, you are considered a "multi-tasked" provider. This means you will be trained and qualified in both clinical and administrative capacities. Medical Assistants work closely with doctors in clinics and physician's offices. You will be entrusted with a variety of critical responsibilities. Administrative responsibilities include scheduling and receiving patients, preparing and maintaining medical records, performing basic secretarial skills, handling telephone calls and written correspondence, serving as a liaison between physicians and other individuals, and managing practice finances. Clinical responsibilities include taking patient histories and vital signs, performing first aid and CPR, preparing patients for procedures, assisting the physician with examinations and treatments, infection control, collecting and processing specimens, performing selected diagnostic tests, and preparing and administering medications as directed by the physician.

This program leads to an Associate in Science degree and prepares students to take the National Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX.RN). Graduates, who pass the NCLEX.RN, can enter the healthcare workforce as confident, competent professional nurses. The RN is highly skilled and educated. The RN is prepared to function in the roles of provider of care, manager of care, and contributing member of a healthcare team. While at the bedside, the RN is accountable for decisions that impact the healthcare outcomes for the patient. The scope of a RN's practice is defined in individual state statutes.

As a Patient Care Technician, you will work closely with doctors and other medical professionals in administering therapeutic programs and monitoring the condition of your patients. You will use your technical knowledge to provide direct patient care including phlebotomy (blood work) and EKGs. Your responsibilities will include monitoring patients for changes in condition and recording and reporting those changes, setting up and operating therapeutic equipment, instructing and supervising patients about rehabilitative therapy, helping to carry out planned patient care programs, and assisting medical staff in changing dressings and conducting patient examinations.

Upon completion of the program and passing the licensing examination, the vocational nurse can enter the workforce as a competent, skilled nurse. Vocational nurses provide patient-side nursing care at the direction of physicians and/or registered nurses. The practice of vocational nursing is based on concepts from the physical, biological and behavioral sciences. Each state has its own nurse practice act, so the scope of practice varies from state to state.

As a Surgical Technologist, you perform essential tasks before, during and after operations. You work closely with surgeons, anesthesiologists, registered nurses and other key surgical personnel in hospital operating rooms and outpatient surgery centers. Surgical Technologists play a critical role in patient care. There are four types of surgical technologists: scrub, second circulating, first assisting, and second assisting. Scrub, circulating, second assisting, and first assisting surgical technologists have primary responsibilities in maintaining the sterile field, being constantly vigilant that all members of the team adhere to proper technique. The scrub surgical technologist (STSR) handles instruments, supplies, and equipment necessary during the surgical procedure. They also maintain sterile environment and anticipate the needs of the surgeon. The second circulating surgical technologist (STCR) assists the RN in obtaining additional instruments, supplies, and equipment while the surgical procedure is in progress. The STCR also assists in monitoring operating room conditions and assesses the needs of the patient and surgical team. The second assisting surgical technologist (STSA) assists the surgeon and/or first assistant during the operative procedure by carrying out technical tasks other than cutting, clamping, and suturing of tissue. Distinct from first assistant and may be performed at the same time as the scrub role.