As part of its ongoing commitment to providing vital career development and exploration support to students, University of Phoenix announced in August 2021 a new collaboration with CareerStep. The educational alliance will allow CareerStep to provide learning pathways to students looking to improve their skills or enhance their careers in allied health. CareerStep is the allied health training division of Carrus.
The arrangement also enables CareerStep to provide access to professional development options to interested healthcare employers. These programs can help healthcare professionals stay current on treatments and techniques across allied health professions.
Those who participate in the CareerStep professional development options may be eligible for college credit through University of Phoenix.
Professionals at both the university and the company hailed the agreement as a timely, important opportunity to support students and lifelong learners. “We know that today’s workplace is constantly evolving, especially during the last two years of the pandemic, and that reality is acutely present in healthcare,” said John Woods, Ph.D., University of Phoenix provost and chief academic officer. “This agreement with Carrus’ CareerStep program is an important step in our efforts to be a provider of flexible and accessible healthcare training and professional development for individuals who are just starting out as well as healthcare professionals who are looking to enhance their skill sets.”
Misty Frost, chief executive officer of Carrus, echoed those sentiments. “With medical knowledge continuing to expand rapidly, we are pleased to work with University of Phoenix to deliver educational options to individual learners as well as employers,” said Frost. “Ensuring healthcare professionals know the latest skills is critical, as it impacts every interaction involved in patient care, and there are multiple opportunities for professionals to help patients and provide valuable support.”
Growing Field of Allied Health Professions
Allied health professions that support the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of illnesses are a growing, in-demand healthcare sector. These professionals play complementary roles to physicians, registered nurses and dentists.
Allied health roles require specialized training, certification and licensing in order to provide diagnostic, technical, therapeutic and support services. These individuals provide a vast array of services, technical skills, treatments and assessments that are vital to patient care. They are also in high demand, with extensive worker shortages in the American healthcare system.
Examples of allied health professionals include arts therapists, athletic trainers, audiologists, dental hygienists, dieticians, lactation therapists, massage therapists, medical coders, midwives, music therapists, nutritionists, occupational therapists, optometrists, orthoptists, paramedics, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, physical therapists, physiotherapists, prosthetists, psychologists, psychotherapists, pulmonary therapists, radiographers, radiology technicians, rehab counselors, social workers, sonographers, and speech and language therapists.
CareerStep works to address the demand for allied healthcare workers by offering multiple training options designed to assist healthcare employers in developing ways to reskill staff and train new workers for high-demand roles.
Education Options at University of Phoenix
The CareerStep alliance with University of Phoenix can help students complete valuable higher education degree programs. Students in many of CareerStep’s allied healthcare programs may be able to achieve an accelerated pathway to a University of Phoenix degree by meeting credit requirements for coursework and programs offered by the University.
University of Phoenix offers extensive, flexible credit transfer options for students across career paths. CareerStep coursework that may be eligible for transferred to University of Phoenix equivalents include those in the following professions:
- Medical coding and billing
- Medical assistant
- Dental assistant
- Pharmacy tech
- Medical transcription editing
- Certified healthcare documentation specialist
- Hemodialysis technician with externship
- Patient care technician
- Medical scribe by American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group (AHDPG)
- Healthcare IT professional
More details about the credit transfer possibilities and credits awarded are available here. Like most University of Phoenix course offerings, CareerStep programs are largely offered online.
About Carrus
Carrus, CareerStep’s parent company, delivers high-quality online healthcare learning content, continuing education and certifications to healthcare professionals, institutions and new learners. Using an integrated online technology program, Carrus helps make seamless healthcare learning possible. Through its CareerStep and CareerCert divisions, Carrus has trained more than 200,000 learners, partnered with more than 150 colleges and universities and has educated more than 100,000 healthcare professionals.
About University of Phoenix
Established in 1976, University of Phoenix educates working adult learners to prepare them for a rapidly changing world. The University offers online learning programs with flexible schedules and interactive courses taught by faculty members with real-world experience relevant to specific career paths. University of Phoenix students have access to online services including academic support for math and writing, library resources, Career Services for Life and an active alumni association.
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