HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Applications are now open for anyone interested in enrolling in many of the Health Science programs at Wallace State Community College. Most of the programs accept new students each fall.
Applications are taken in for the following programs with a priority deadline of June 1: Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Imaging, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Emergency Medical Services, Health Information Technology, Medical Assistant, Medical Coding, Medical Laboratory Technician, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Pharmacy Technology, Physical Therapist Assistant, Polysomnography (Sleep Lab), Respiratory Therapy and Therapeutic Massage. Applications for the Nursing program will be accepted with a priority deadline of May 15 for students wishing to enroll in either the Associate Degree Nursing program, the UAB/WSCC Nursing Joint Enrollment program, or the Mobility Nursing program.
Entry into WSCC’s Health Science programs is a competitive process, with most requiring minimum ACT and/or GPA scores as well as completion of some prerequisite courses. All require general admission to the college.
The programs accepting applications for Fall 2020 with some of their requirements include:
• Dental Assisting – applicants should be eligible for ENG 101, possess at least a 16 ACT and a 2.3 GPA.
• Dental Hygiene – applicants should have completed MTH 100, BIO 201 and BIO 220, have an 18 ACT and a 2.5 GPA.
• Diagnostic Imaging – applicants must have completed prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better, have a 2.5 GPA, and have a 20 ACT. Please see the program’s application page, General Education worksheet for requirements of application and selection criteria.
• Diagnostic Medical Sonography, which offers associate degree options in General (OB/GYN) and Cardiovascular Sonography, – applicants should have completed 21 credit hours of prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better, have a 2.5 GPA, and a 19 ACT. Technical standards such as being able to lift 50 pounds routinely and other job performance functions are also required.
• The Emergency Medical Service program offers an associate degree option, a paramedic certificate option and an EMS short-term certificate option. Applicants should have a 16 ACT score, be eligible to enroll in or have completed ENG 101 and MTH 100 with a grade of 75 or better.
• Health Information Technology – applicants need to have a 17 ACT, a 2.5 GPA, with a grade of C or better on 17 credit hours of pre-HIT general required courses. The Health Information Technology degree is offered as an online program. Professional practice courses do require time in a facility.
• Medical Assistant offers a degree (4 semesters) and a one-year (3 semesters) certificate option. Applicants to each option should have a 17 ACT, a minimum 2.0 GPA for general required courses if any prior coursework has been completed. The Medical Assistant program is an integrated program of study. General education courses may be completed at the same time program courses are taken, meaning no general courses have to be taken prior to applying to the program. The Medical Assistant program is also approved for qualified Dual Enrollment high school students.
• Medical Coding is an online certificate program Applicants should have a 17 ACT and a 2.5 GPA.
• Medical Laboratory Technician applicants need an 18 ACT and a 2.5 GPA with a grade of C or better on all general required pre-MLT courses
• Nursing
o Applicants to the associate degree program need an 18 ACT, be eligible for ENG 101 and MTH 100 courses, 2.0 GPA at current native institution, 2.5 GPA on nursing required academic core courses, 2.5 GPA cumulative high school GPA without prior college courses.
o Applicants to the UAB/WSCC Nursing Joint Enrollment must also be unconditionally admitted to UAB, have a 20 ACT, have completed all required academic courses, and have a 2.5 GPA on all college work and for nursing required academic courses
o Applicants to the Mobility Nursing program need an 18 ACT, must have completed BIO 201, BIO 201, ENG 1010, MTH 100 (higher level math accepted – please note MTH 116 does not qualify), PSY 210, and SPH 106 or SPH 107 with a grade of C or higher, have a 2.0 GPA at current native institution, 2.5 GPA on nursing required academic courses
• Occupational Therapy Assistant – applicants need to have a 20 ACT, have completed two semesters of general required courses, attain a 2.5 GPA with a grade of C or better on all general required pre-OTA courses, and 24 observation hours
• Pharmacy Technology – applicants to this certificate program need a 2.0 GPA. Pharmacy Technology can be completed mostly online though some on-campus visit will be necessary.
• Physical Therapist Assistant – applicants need to have a 20 ACT, 24 hours of observation, 3.0 GPA with a C or better on all general required courses
• Polysomnography – applicants for this certificate program need to have a 17 ACT and a 2.0 GPA. Polysomnography is taught mostly online, though some on campus visits will be necessary.
• Respiratory Therapy – applicants need to have an 18 ACT, 2.5 GPA with a C or better on all general required pre-Respiratory Therapy courses
• Therapeutic Massage – applicants to this certificate program must be 18 years of age as of Aug. 1, have at least a 2.0 GPA, have received two full body massages from a licensed massage therapist, and an ACCUPLACER reading score of 80 or a 17 on the reading portion of the ACT.Students with a degree from a regionally accredited institution and a minimum GPA of 2.5 are exempt from the ACCUPLACER/ACT requirement.
As the current crisis has shown, health care workers are needed now more than ever. For more information about all Wallace State Community College programs, visit www.wallacestate.edu.
