Health Sciences

Western's Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program is both demanding and fulfilling. As a PTA, you'll use your knowledge and skills to enhance human health and functionality. You will achieve this by applying scientific principles to prevent, detect, evaluate, correct, or alleviate both sudden onset and prolonged movement dysfunctions.

To excel in this role, you must possess strong technical skills and the ability to collaborate with a variety people. Being organized and detail-oriented is essential, particularly when it comes to documenting the progress of your patients.

This degree will set you up for success in this high-skill career working effectively under the direction and supervision of licensed physical therapists.

Illness, injury, premature birth, and chronic respiratory conditions can impact individuals' ability to breathe, making respiratory therapists an invaluable part of the healthcare team. In this critical role, you'll be evaluating, diagnosing, and treating various breathing disorders.

Collaborating closely with physicians, you'll contribute to the development of treatment plans aimed at improving respiratory function, and your responsibilities will extend to monitoring the effectiveness of these treatments. Your treatment strategies may involve administering inhaled medications, utilizing therapeutic or life support equipment, or implementing a combination of therapies to address respiratory issues. Additionally, you'll play a vital role in patient and family education, providing crucial information on managing respiratory conditions.

Western's program offers a variety of instructional formats, including traditional, online, and blended courses, ensuring flexibility in your education. Graduates are required to pass an examination administered by the National Board for Respiratory Care, leading to the designation of Certified Respiratory Therapist (CRT). With the CRT credential, you become eligible to apply for a license to practice respiratory care throughout the United States. You can also pursue the Clinical Simulation Examination to achieve the designation of Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), further enhancing your qualifications and career prospects in the field of respiratory therapy.

Are you interested in a career that makes a real difference in people's lives? Consider enrolling in our associate degree program to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), or to explore other exciting job opportunities in related fields. As a COTA, you'll have the chance to work closely under the guidance of an occupational therapist. Your role? To help individuals overcome challenges in their daily lives using engaging, goal-oriented activities. This could mean assisting people in mastering everyday living skills, enjoying leisure and play, or developing work skills.

But that's not all. As a COTA, you'll find yourself in a variety of settings, each offering unique experiences. You might work in a hospital, a school, a geriatric center, or even in people's homes and communities. Each environment offers a chance to positively impact lives, helping people to not just live, but to thrive. If this sounds like the path for you, our program is the perfect starting point to launch your rewarding career in occupational therapy.

Are you intrigued by biology and chemistry, with a passion for healthcare? Consider turning your interests into a fulfilling career as a medical laboratory technician. In this role, you play a crucial part in the healthcare system by conducting clinical laboratory tests that aid in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and medical conditions.

Your responsibilities as a medical laboratory technician encompass a wide range of analyses, spanning from waived and point-of-care testing to complex diagnostic procedures covering major medical laboratory areas such as hematology, clinical chemistry, immunohematology, microbiology, serology/immunology, coagulation, molecular diagnostics, and other emerging technologies. As the primary analyst, you'll make specimen-oriented decisions and hold vital responsibilities in information processing, training, and quality control monitoring wherever medical laboratory testing is conducted.

Graduates are eligible to take a national certification exam offered by the American Society for Clinical Pathologists' (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC). It's important to note that passing this exam is not a graduation requirement, but it can significantly enhance your credentials and career prospects in the field of medical laboratory technology.

The operating room is a demanding and often stressful environment, and it takes a collaborative effort to ensure its smooth operation. If you thrive under pressure and can remain calm in challenging situations, you may find your calling as a surgical technologist. In this critical role, you will be an integral part of the surgical team, responsible for ensuring that equipment functions correctly, maintaining a sterile and safe environment, and ensuring the patient's comfort. Surgical procedures can vary from invasive to minimally invasive, diagnostic, or therapeutic, and you will gain experience in all these areas. Your duties will encompass both pre- and post-operative care, making you an indispensable member of the healthcare team.

Success in an operating room demands focus, dedication, and exceptional multitasking abilities. Before starting the program, all candidates will have the opportunity to gain insight through job shadowing experiences and witness surgeries in progress.

While some general studies courses are available online, with distance learning options at our regional locations, many of our program's core courses are taught face-to-face at the La Crosse Campus. These courses will consist of a combination of lectures, labs, and clinical rotations as you progress through the program.

You will be required to take a national certification exam as a final step before beginning employment as a surgical technologist. This certification ensures that you are well-prepared to excel in this vital healthcare role.