Career Training

Do you have a passion for caring for others? Are you looking for a career in which you can start relatively quickly? Certified Nursing Assistant programs are cropping up nationwide, thanks to stimulus funds designed to get people into the healthcare field as quickly as possible. In as little as three months, you can move from a student at a community college to a fully certified nursing assistant working in a hospital, nursing care center, or home setting.

While these programs are not new, additional funding from the stimulus package has allowed many community colleges to increase the number of certified nursing classes they offer. This means even more students can get on the fast track to a healthcare career that is much more stable than many other industries today. The short amount of time in school also means tuition savings for those who want to explore new career opportunities but don't have many extra funds to do so.

What is a Certified Nursing Assistant?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, certified nursing assistants work in various settings, offering hands-on care to patients under the supervision of RNs and other medical staff. In some cases, CNAs may help patients eat, bathe, or perform other daily tasks. Some might also take patient vitals, including temperature, pulse, and blood pressure. They may assist the rest of the medical staff by moving equipment, setting up supplies, or assisting with some procedures.

This video describes the nursing

The “green jobs” that politicians have been talking about for the past several years may be starting to arrive. As the Grand Rapids Press reports, Michigan will likely soon be home to a new advanced battery-manufacturing plant run by Fortu Powercell Inc., a German-Swiss-based advanced battery manufacturer. The new plant should create up to 726 jobs in the coming years, according to state economists.

This spells great news for prospective community college students looking for the appropriate training in the green technology field.

This video describes the ATRE Energy Storage Curriculum in the California community college system.

New Battery Plants Require a New Kind of Worker

“Clean Room” Environment Means Fewer Environmental Pollutants

Advanced battery-manufacturing plants will require specially trained technicians because of their unique environment. The Grand Rapids Press reports that the lithium-ion battery plant is a “clean room” environment, meaning a controlled work environment that, in contrast to typical manufacturing plants, has low levels of environmental pollutants. Work in these plants will include less of the hands-on duties that are seen in traditional auto manufacturing plants, but more monitoring of machines.

Plant Technicians Will Need Some Specialized Training

In a January 2010 Grand Rapids Press article, lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant manager Elizabeth Rolinski said that the jobs in these new plants will involve “a little less of the repetitive assembly work” and more of “learning how to

Many Americans are searching for a new career in today’s shifting job market. One option worth considering may be working in polysomnography technology.

What is Polysomnography Technology?

Polysomnography technology is a branch of healthcare devoted to studying sleep disorders. Sleep technologists monitor individuals while they sleep, recording their brain activity, muscle and eye movements, respiration, and blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. These measurements are used to help diagnose sleep disorders such as:

• Narcolepsy
• Insomnia
• Sleep apnea
• Restless leg syndrome

What Can a Polysomnography Technologist Expect to Earn?

Starting salaries vary by region, but are generally quite impressive. The website for the Moraine Valley Community College Polysomnography Certificate program indicates that a typical sleep technologist in the Chicago area earns $51, 773.

The Shift Work Disorder News indicates that those who have completed sleep technologist training programs can earn “$42,509 to $80,300 annually, depending on the certification level and the years of experience.”

Texas’s Alvin Community College, which offers certificate and associate’s degree programs in polysomnography technology, indicates that “starting salaries are typically $20 to $25 per hour.”

What Jobs Does a Polysomnography Technologist Perform?

A sleep technologist may perform many duties. According to the website for the American Association of Sleep Technologists (AAST), a sleep technologist’s jobs may include:

• Ensuring that equipment is functioning properly
• Monitoring and analyzing polysomnograms (sleep tests that measure air flow, eye movements, oxygen, and other

Our nation’s energy delivery system is undergoing a significant transformation, and soon, the “smart grid” will replace the electric system of yesteryear.

The grid is deemed “smart” because it can route power according to specific needs and conditions, which is a sharp contrast to today’s grid, which merely “broadcasts” power from central generators. The smart grid is more reliable, transparent, cost-effective, and energy-effective than the current infrastructure, and the system is how America plans to manage its future energy independence, emergency resilience, and ability to generate clean power.

This video explains smart grid technology.

Under the Obama Administration, along with the Federal Smart Grid Task Force established through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the smart grid will soon become a reality. Areas around the country, such as Southern California and Cincinnati, have already begun installing smart meters to create a national system.

The Smart Grid: Smart Career Choices

The Department of Energy’s Grid 2030 Vision plans to modernize and revolutionize the electric system within ten years. The changes will impact every mile of the electricity system, reaching every consumer and business. Clearly, a change of this magnitude will cost billions of dollars and create “green collar” job opportunities for many individuals.

In fact, according to KEMA, the leading authority in energy consulting, in the next four years alone, the $16 billion earmarked for intelligent grid funding

A new law regarding the renovation of buildings that contain lead paint will go into effect in April 2010, and it has contractors and other professionals scrambling to earn the certification that will be mandated by law. Thankfully, some community colleges offer courses to help with the certification process.

Starting in April 2010, federal law will require all professionals hired to renovate, repair, or paint homes, childcare facilities, or schools built before 1978 to be certified in lead-safe work practices. The change is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) new Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule. The EPA's new rule requires that accredited centers train renovators in lead-safe work practices, and renovators and renovation firms must be certified as capable of working safely with lead-based paint.

The new law is designed to improve public health and safety, as working with lead paint can result in lead dust and chips being disseminated in the air, harming the health of children and adults. According to a New York Fox News station report, 14% of the children in New York State who had elevated levels of lead in their blood suffered from the condition as a direct result of home renovation projects.

Training for Lead-Safe Workers

Contractors and other professionals who work with paint in buildings built before 1978 must show that they have taken a training course and received a certificate in lead-safe working