Healthcare Training Programs in Community Colleges: A Landscape Analysis of Program Availability and Student Completions
This report from the Community College Research Center at Columbia University describes a study of healthcare training programs conducted to understand the role community colleges play in training healthcare workers, including public health workers. The study used 2019–20 data from the U.S. Department of Education to examine the contributions of community colleges to the healthcare workforce. The results indicate that community colleges are responsible for 51 percent of all postsecondary healthcare programs and graduates in allied health, nursing, mental health, and clinical laboratory science. Researchers also examined the demographics of program graduates and the earnings outcomes that students achieve upon completion. For many healthcare programs, certificates are more common than longer term awards, and public health programs were noted for their diverse recruitment with Latinx and Black students.