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While the health care industry experiences a workforce shortage, concern is growing over the country's capacity to produce enough new entrants. A recent report by The Center for American Progress (CAP) addresses this issue, looking at the role of for-profit colleges in training the health care workforce -- an area of particular interest to the black community, since African Americans account for a large percentage of most for-profit colleges' student populations. With their pattern of recruiting under-served demographics of students, for-profit colleges are a significant point of access into the health care field for students of color. At the same time, there are issues:
For-profit colleges concentrate on educating students primarily in lower-paying, lower-skilled health support fields. With so many students of color in their student bodies, that means many minority students will end up in support positions such as medical assistants rather than as registered nurses.
Still, for-profit institutions are training a large percentage of students of color for health care jobs. About 25 percent of the health care degrees and certificates awarded at for-profit colleges in 2009 went to African Americans, compared to only 11 percent at not-for-profit institutions. And 24 percent of for-profit health care credentials went to Latino students compared to only 8 percent at not-for-profits. The upshot: For-profit institutions play a substantial role in training students of color for a career in health care...
Even so, for-profit colleges are educating more students of color relative to their size, and not-for-profits are educating more white students.
Many have noticed this discrepancy, and what it leads to: Minorities losing out on better paying health care jobs, even though the for-profit schools they are attending are being funded with loans and government monies that could be parlayed into better careers. In a separate article, The Center for American Progress explains the result of this phenomenon:
For-profit colleges came under scrutiny from the press, student advocacy groups,
and the federal government in the past year for their steep enrollment growth,
high profit margins, and dependence on federal dollars. Reports reveal extraordinary
enrollment rates contrasted with low graduation rates and high student loan
defaults. This is a significant issue for the individual students who carry high debt
burdens without the benefit of a college degree as well as for the federal government, who provides the grants and loans that make up 90 percent of these companies' revenues in some cases.
Read more about the lack of minority non-profit college enrollment and the subsequent lack of high-paid black health care professionals on The Center for American Progress web site. This study is enlightening, but personal experience is enough to see why this trend is occurring.
You've seen their commercials, and heard their testimonials: "Now my mommy works with doctors!" says one of the cutest little brown girls you've ever seen in one ad, just before a voice-over urges you to pick up the phone right now and make the call for a better life. Another ad shows a woman of color in scrubs talking about liking her paycheck so much better, now that she has this degree that she earned in almost no time. The thing to remember is that, unlike their not-for-profit counterparts (e.g. community colleges), which offer a wider variety of health care education programs (as in, often way more profitable options like nursing degrees), for-profit colleges focus on educating students mostly in lower-paying, less-skilled health support fields. Those same government grants could be supporting more women of color becoming nurses rather than medical office assistants -- but these women are not being funneled into the non-for-profit health care education system, which is not prone towards heavy advertising.
Without discounting the opportunities available at for-profit colleges, I would urge anyone interested in entering the health care workforce who is tempted by a for-profit institution's commercial to seek all the information possible about their desired field before making a decision about where to study. Look beyond commercials, which are not engineered with your best interest in mind. Ads seldom are.
This diligent research could mean the difference between starting your new health care career earning a salary of approximately $60,000 a year as a nurse, or earning half as much as a medical assistant -- for a similar cost of education.
Comments: (32)
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By: Al on 2/10/2011 4:58PM
Life is short. Find something you love doing, the money will come later.
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By: SAY WHAT! on 2/10/2011 9:58PM
Thing about being "steered" toward anything...
If you don't like it, turn the wheel in any direction you want.
Ta da!!!
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By: leart on 2/17/2011 5:50PM
That's a myth, the money wont come later. If you get poor training or a Degree in a subject that no one is hiring for you can't pay your Student Loans, your Rent, Car Note, Mortgage(Rent), etc.. So don't waste your time getting a degree in something to be unemployed or undereployed, it won't work out, you'll come up short, now and later no matter how much you like what you are doing. It's a real world out here.
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By: pimpinperry2 on 2/10/2011 5:18PM
As I was reading this article one of those commercials came on. It was the Everest Training schools. And just like in the article the woman of color feature in the ad wa saying how much her life has improved.
These for profit schools know a good thing when they see it. Target the uneducated black women with a fantasy and tell them that they can get a loan from the government and boom they'll be lining up.
I'm not against one trying to improve themselves, Im against companies / for profit schools exploiting certain segments of the population for profit and leaving them in debt.
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By: MISS DANDRIDGE on 2/14/2011 1:11PM
THESE SCHOOL ARE RAN TO MAKE A PROFIT OFF BLACK, YOUNG UNEDUCATED WOMEN.
NON OF THE CREDITS TRANFER.
THE HAVE A POOR PLACEMENT RATE.
THE TEACHERS ARE INEXPERIENCED, JUST READING FROM A BOOK WITH ALL OF THE ANSWERS IN THE BACK.
THE TUITION IS OUTRAGEOUS.
THIS IS A SHAME!!!
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By: vonnie on 2/10/2011 7:29PM
I have worked for a for profit intuition. Unfortunately the criteria to get into the school are unlike that of a community college or a four year school. Students who have graduated high school with a g.p.a of a 2.0 (and yes they do graduate) find the for profits schools a godsend, and for some students it is an opportunity to get into a training program that will allow them to find employment. I am not saying that all students who enroll in a for profit school have done poorly while in high school, but they too want something quick. The commercials are very attractive to adults who are in low paying jobs with no training or not employed at all. The flip side to all of this is that most for profit schools are not designed for remedial education and the pace may be to fast for some students. Students are then discouraged fall behind in the course work and they drop out. Students have to realize that there is no quick fix to an education. Yes, there is an influx of African American students who enroll in for profit institutions, but they are not the only ones. And yes, for profit schools have hit a goal mine even in today’s economy.
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By: Alexis Stodghill on 2/10/2011 8:49PM
Very good point.
My uncle had to engage in remedial education when he went to college. He was appalled to realize that he had not been taught anything in public high school. But he went to a small city college at first, and then transferred to a more prestigious city school when he got his remedial reading and math skills up.
I think that your points are very valid, and not everyone is meant to be a nurse. At the same time, I think MORE women of color could do more if we could steer them with better help along the way into more lucrative careers.
I think some of these schools and programs don't try hard enough to get their students through, and take the money and run. And non-profits should try harder to advertise and teach those that want remedial programs. But you are right, there is a level of education that is right for everyone.
I just think women of color get counted out way to quickly for various reasons, and that we can even help ourselves by trying more and being better informed.
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By: pimpinperry2 on 2/10/2011 11:56PM
Your points are valid. The key is a basic education things like reading, writing and math that should have been learn in elementary or high school. Therefore one would be ready for higher education.
Yet when you look aT the graduation rates of urban high schools you find a low rate of graduation with black males, a much better rate with black females yet the quality of thier education is suspect.
However today too many in the black community dismiss education as a white thing and then later on in life they find they can't keep pace with the real world. The responsibilty is on the individual or I should say the parent to make sure that their children get a basic education. But too many black parents don't put enough emphasis on edcuation.
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By: liz on 2/10/2011 8:43PM
I wanted to add that these for profit schools are only trying to get money out of you and get you to sign those loan papers.I went to check out one of these schools,Everest, and the girls i would see in there had purple hair,long crazy nails and spoke slang.When i was on my way out,there was a caucasion girl with a skirt too short, and piercings everywhere signing up to be a medical assistant.Recently there was an article saying that this school wasn't even accredited. When i went to look at the "graduation board" some of the graduates weren't even working in the field they signed up for!
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By: Ann on 2/11/2011 4:08PM
I blame the system to use Blacks more than other ethnic groups because its a vehicle to get young teen moms and late 20's off the state assistant programs and many are not aware of the high loan fees and its presented in a manner where they will be making 13 dollars or 1300 every two weeks and its appealing but they don't know its a stuck job and if you are not able to pass the certification tests your promotion is dead.All these schools are just a recycle bin with the use of government money for personal profits at the expense of individuals that don't take the time to investigate and many like that they don't have to change their language or dress code.Many have attitudes and poor dress codes/respect that its a turnover in staff as well coping with individuals.
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