Health Sciences School Prepares Students for In-demand Careers

Suffering from a stroke often means you must recoup lost skills, which can be as simple as learning how to get dressed again or as complicated as re-learning how to perform your job. That’s only one of many diverse patient populations, including young students all the way through seniors, who can be helped by occupational therapy and its focus on recovering, maintaining or developing skills needed for successful daily life.  

On the Anderson campus, Ivy Tech is launching its first Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program in Fall 2026, and it will be one of only two such programs available in Indiana. Ivy Tech’s OTA program can be completed in 4 or 5 semesters, and it will be hands-on and led by practitioners who are excited to train new students for an in-demand and exciting career. 

The degree outlook is strong for OTAs, with 21% job growth projected from 2023-2033 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

“The OTA program offers a tremendous opportunity to work in occupational therapy without the time commitment and high cost of obtaining a master’s degree in occupational therapy,” said Dr. Jess Littrell, OTD, OTR/L, CAS, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, School of Health Sciences. 

Wide variety of quality programs, serving a demanding national sector  

In Ivy Tech’s School of Health Sciences, the new OTA program is only one of an expansive array of opportunities for students to pursue a career in healthcare. The school is also a powerhouse of graduates with more than 8,000 students launching their healthcare careers each year.  

School of Health Sciences programs are seeing a tremendous amount of graduate success with a perfect certification exam pass rate in multiple programs, including Qualified Medication Aide (QMA), Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and Phlebotomy.  

 Job placement is also high, for example, Radiation Therapy has a continued 100 percent job placement rate, with many graduates being hired even before program completion.

The quality and breadth of the school is matched by the workforce need. A white paper commissioned by Ivy Tech in 2025 found that Indiana will have 38,000 anticipated annual job openings in healthcare, requiring workers with degrees and credentials like medical assistants and healthcare technicians. It’s a trend across the country as well, where healthcare jobs are in constant demand.  

Couzin emphasizes that for students who want to help people, there are a variety of healthcare paths available. From Physical Therapist Assistant and Respiratory Assistant to Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLA), there are many different in-demand healthcare fields that can meet the interests and skills of prospective students.  

“As an example, the MLA program is a hidden healthcare field, and it’s not patient-facing. You get to know what’s going on with a patient before anyone else. Plus, you get to help people, but you don’t have to touch and talk to people all day, which can be a great fit for some students,” Couzin said.  

Melenie Medina-Flores, current Ivy Tech Surgical Technology student in Indianapolis, was drawn to a career in healthcare that would allow her to work in an operating room and experience the high stakes of caring for patients who really need support during a major health event.  

“The Ivy Tech faculty is so lovely. All of the teachers in the surgical technology program are amazing. Almost all of them have been students here too. They have made a big impact on my life to keep pursuing this career – not to give up no matter what hard experiences I have. They keep pushing me to keep with it and to push through the tough days,” Medina-Flores said. 

Jeanne L Rieger CST MSEd, Program Chair for Melenie’s Surgical Technology program, agrees, “The interaction between our faculty and students at Ivy Tech is incredibly compassionate and collaborative. It’s not just: ‘Did you do the assignment? We’ll see you next week.’ The students here are truly cared for by the faculty and not just taught.”  

The workforce partnerships and employer relationships in health sciences are also a major differentiator for Ivy Tech. 

Across the state, Ivy Tech is working to form partnerships that can benefit all students. Recently, Ivy Tech worked with LeadingAge Indiana, a membership organization representing human services and long-term care providers across the state. The goal is to promote the college as a preferred postsecondary training partner to strengthen Indiana’s long-term care workforce, says Matt Connell, Ed.D., Vice President Healthcare at Ivy Tech. 

It’s a natural fit for Ivy Tech’s Achieve Your Degree (AYD) program, which is an employer-supported education initiative that can help employees pursue healthcare credentials by offering tuition deferment and access to financial assistance resources, Connell adds.  

Given the ample student interest in healthcare careers, many of Ivy Tech’s campuses have strong regional relationships to help health students access jobs as soon as they complete their degrees – if not even before graduation.