TAFT, Calif. (KERO) — Taft College is adding new medical programs to their curriculum in the near future.
- This all started by looking into the huge demand for paramedics in the county.
- Paramedic and medical assisting program should begin next year, with the nursing program starting in 2026.
- There currently are 70 opened open positions for paramedics in Kern County.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
California needs more people trained in various aspects of the medical industry. Taft College is adding new medical programs to its curriculum soon to help with that goal.
“The reason why we want to focus on healthcare and go down in that direction is that we have a huge need, and even if we train 30 students a year, that graduate, you know every 2 years, so you have 2 courses running at a time, we would only put a dent in that demand within that own region,” says Devin Daugherty.
Devin Daugherty is the Dean of Instruction at Taft College. He spoke at the weekly Taft Chamber sit-n-sip about the need for more people in the medical field, specifically in nursing, paramedics, and medical assistance, especially in the city of Taft.
“We also have a large number of folks that are aging that need health care, that need the facilities to care for them as they get older, and we have a huge deficit here in Kern County to take care of our aging population,” continues Daugherty.
Devin highlighted that the new proposed healthcare programs aim to not only support the aging population but also alleviate tuition costs for students.
He mentioned that all hospitals up to Hanford told him they're eager to accept every graduate from the Taft colleges program due to the high demand. Devin also noted that many hospitals in Kern and Tulare counties are willing to assist with clinical for the nursing program—
“We kinda have everything in place so that way, we can be successful, our students have a place to come to school, it’s affordable, and as soon as they graduate we already have the employers lined up for them”
The paramedic and medical assisting program should begin next year... With the nursing program starting in 20-26...
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