Medix School

If you're interested in an interpersonal career that emphasizes a hands-on approach and personalized attention, chances are you're thinking of a job in the health care field. To get there you'll need the right education and experience, but that doesn't mean you have to be a recent high school grad to get your start. Plenty of adults who are looking for a career change -- or an increase in their job mobility -- find the instruction and credentials they need by attending a health care school.

At Medix School in Ontario, Canada, students ranging in age from 17 to 60 years old gather across five campuses in order to learn the ropes of such health care careers as medical and general lab assisting, intra-oral dental assisting, medical office assisting, and pharmacy technology. At this health care school students and their career potential are the primary concerns.

"We take a customer service approach to things," explains Peter Dykstra, a director at Medix School. "At the same time, we make sure that students gain the skills they need. We always try to train people as if they're on the job here."

This career-oriented approach extends to program instructors who bring an active knowledge of their fields into the classroom. According to Dykstra, all Medix instructors are professionals in the health care field that they teach, and the majority maintain part-time employment in their industry in order to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments. It's this level of instruction and specialization that has appealed to everyone from health care novices to career vets. Even college graduates -- such as biology majors interested in entering the pharmacy field -- will turn to Medix School for help in getting the career-targeted education they need.

This health care school also provides students with curricula and program scheduling that enable them to quickly get their career off the ground quickly without large time commitments. To help ensure this all programs are arranged on a 25-hour-per-week basis with students choosing from among three possible sessions to attend classes. While students with daytime commitments can opt to attend class from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., others can choose between the 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the 1 p.m. to 6 p.m sessions. Students also benefit from the fact that only relevant courses are taught at this career school. Whereas most traditional colleges and universities require students to take various liberal arts classes as part of their programs, this health career school is focused on teaching career-related skills.

Thanks to this schedule and approach, many of the programs offered by Medix School can be completed in less than one year. In addition, every program requires that students gain first-hand job experience through either an externship with an outside organization or with Medix School's on-site clinic. As Dykstra explains, "It is important for [students] to get real-life experience and get their hands dirty." Thus far, student response to this initiative has been "wonderful," says Dykstra. "They really enjoy the opportunities that they gain."

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