AA Degree is a Career Starter

By Dr. Diana Schultz

Are you dreaming of a healthcare profession? Consider starting with associate level courses.

Most career paths, such as nursing, dental hygiene or physical therapy, require that you complete pre-requisite courses at the associate degree level before applying to the professional programs. At Hodges University, you can take healthcare programs’ pre-requisite courses as part of an Associate in Arts in Health Sciences. Those prerequisite courses build the knowledge you’ll need when you continue your education and training through core courses and hands-on experience within healthcare professional programs. Our Associate in Arts in Health Sciences offer the prerequisite courses required for degrees in nursing, physical therapist assistant and dental hygiene, degrees that we also do offer at Hodges University.

In addition to doing class work, online and on-campus, our students have the advantage of learning in our modern anatomy and physiology, chemistry, and microbiology labs, labs that are located in our Health sciences building, the same building that houses our nursing, physical therapist assistant and dental hygiene programs. Our students learn about the structure and function of the human body in Anatomy and Physiology classes. They also apply what they learn by performing experiments to understand the concepts they’re taught in class, like extracting DNA from fungi, testing their own DNA, and making bacteria glow. Some of the lab instruments and equipment our students use include scalpels and forceps, extraction columns, centrifuges, electrophoresis instruments, and PCR machines.

By learning the concepts and applying them in lab settings, our students can take that knowledge with them when they choose their career path. At Hodges University, those career paths include nursing, physical therapist assistant, dental hygiene and health sciences, programs that are also housed in the Health Sciences building. Our students cross paths from day one.

All of these paths offered here, at Hodges University, in Florida lead to careers that are in demand.

The need for nurses, especially those with a bachelor’s degree, is in high demand. Florida is ranked in the top three states for employment, and the average annual salary for Registered Nurses (RNs) with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is $69,510.*

The average annual salary for a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) with an associate degree in Florida is $64,940.* Florida is ranked second in the country for highest job openings for PTAs.*

Like nursing and PTA, the demand for dental hygienists in Florida is expected to grow by 11 percent through the year 2030, and Florida is one of the top states that needs dental hygienists. The average annual salary for a dental hygienist is $67,870.*

With a bachelor’s degree in health sciences (BS-HS), one of the paths is to become a health education specialist. Demand is expected to grow 12 percent through the year 2030 with an average annual salary of $56,500**. Alternative opportunities for a BS-HS is application to masters and doctoral graduate programs in medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacy, among others.

A healthcare career continues to be a promising one that is also greatly needed in Florida. There are many paths to build a healthcare career: take the AA path and build yours at Hodges University!

Hodges University
239-938-7700 | Hodges.edu

*Bureau of Labor Statistics: bls.gov
**CareerOneStop.org