DUBOIS – Through a partnership with Penn Highlands Healthcare, students in the Penn State DuBois Bachelor of Science in Business program will now be able to tailor their education to fit careers in the healthcare industry.
The new Health Services Option will be available to business majors at the campus this fall. This option prepares students to pursue careers in the health services sector with emphasis on the organizational, management and administrative aspects of health care organizations.
Penn Highlands Healthcare in DuBois, Clearfield, Brookville and St. Marys will offer these Penn State students an internship experience at one of their Centers or Healthcare Offices.
“This option will allow students to gain a specialized knowledge of the healthcare industry, and hands-on experience from their internship,” said Laurie Breakey, business program leader at Penn State DuBois. “They’ll develop the skills needed to work in hospital administration, nursing home administration, health care clinic management, and more.”
The Health Services option in the Bachelor of Science in Business degree allows a student to focus on studying and gaining real-world experience in the rapidly growing healthcare and health service industry.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed that 296,900 jobs were added to the healthcare sector in 2011. Locally, 16 percent of jobs in Clearfield County and neighboring counties are in the healthcare field. According to the North Central Workforce Investment Board of Pennsylvania, the healthcare industry is one of the High Priority Occupation areas in need of more educated and skilled workers to fill annual job openings across North Central Pennsylvania.
For more information, contact Breakey at 814-375-4800 or lph5@psu.edu or visit http://dubois.psu.edu/healthservices.