Any Accelerated Medical/EKG/Dialysis Tech Training Programs Out There?

I'm sorry that you've recently been laid off. Hopefully, 2010 will be a lot better for all of us :) With any type of training program, I would only consider ones that are accredited within the industry. If the program is not accredited, the person may not be able to find work in that particular field anyway.

Regardless of which program that you consider, please forgo those private $$ tech schools and instead look into the county vo-tech school or community college as long as the program has the accreditation thus having credibility within the industry.

For US colleges: http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ

When considering which field to enter, just a word to the wise that there aren't supposed to be too many jobs for the medical assistant (or medical biller or coder), and I'm not sure of the need for dialysis techs as there may only be a couple per hospital, if at all.

If considering medical transcription, please beware of those online/'work-at-home' job ads since most of them are a scam especially if asking for money upfront or for personal info which may put one at risk for identity theft: http://www.ftc.gov/ and can click 'identity theft' or such.

For general career info: http://www.bls.gov/oco and can search 'respiratory therapy technicians' (and/or 'therapists'), 'clinical laboratory technologists and technicians', cardiovascular technologists and technicians' or such.

If interested in medical or lab tech, here is a website for accredited programs in the laboratory science field: http://www.naacls.org/ and can click 'programs' or such.

Please steer clear of those online, for-profit schools (may have 'bricks and mortar' buildings and may be 'accredited') such as penn foster, strayer, university of phoenix, kaplan, ITT tech, sanford brown, devry, ashworth, everest, colorado tech, argosy, walden, anthem, stratford career, ashford, remington, US career and others as they are merely out to 'make a profit' (and course credits may not transfer): http://www.ripoffreport.com/ and can type into search.

Davita Dialysis Tech Training Program

I used to be a dialysis patient at a Davita dialysis center. At the one I went to, they had paid on the job training which took about 8 weeks and beginners are not required to have dialysis experience. Since this is paid, and pretty short, I think I'd try this first. Being a dialysis tech generally pays more than being just a certified nursing assistant too.

This is what one dialysis tech said according to their website:

"DaVita has a great training program. I have gone from having no experience in dialysis to becoming a Patient care technician, a reuse technician, a clinical preceptor, and I will be attending the Reuse Preceptor University in April of this year."

I hope this works out for you. You can make a big difference in people's lives through dialysis.

ADDL INFO: I know that a person above me said that there may not be many dialysis tech positions available at a hospital. I'm not sure if she is in the US or not, but the majority of dialysis is done in outpatient clinics, and they always seem to be hiring, from what I've noticed.

1

There are basically no "entry" accelerated medical training programs because they are all either nationally or by the state legally required to contain so much time to be eligible to take any certifying or licensing exams. And training programs are usually what they are (ie if they are 1 year, they are 1 year because they are set up step-wise in a progression manner). However, with a bachelors already you may already have many of the general pre-reqs done which will shorten your time. You do not say if you have science pre-reqs however. Many allied health field are only 1 year training after the pre-reqs are completed anyway. You would have to look at each tech job that appealed to you & see their exact requirements as they are all different (lab technologists must go to a 1 year post BS med tech training program; respiratory techs go to a school of resp technology etc).

2

Avoid the for-profit schools like ITT and Brown Mackie. They are horribly expensive and their degrees often, perhaps usually, are not accepted by employers as job qualifications. You are much better off at the local community college or state 4-year university - both as to cost and to acceptability and recognition of your coursework.