Although graduating from high school is a major milestone, many graduates find their excitement mixed with a sense of uncertainty about what's next in their lives. If you're interested in a healthcare career but aren't sure about the commitment of a four-year degree program, Nebraska Methodist College (NMC) offers options to suit your needs — including online healthcare training with no degree, numerous certificate programs and continuing education (CE) options that work around your schedule.
Rather than committing to a two- or four-year degree straight out of high school, many recent graduates are exploring alternative options in the form of certificate programs and CE credits online (and for good reason).
According to the Education Data Initiative, the cost of college in the United States has more than doubled in the 21st century, with the average now hovering around $38,000 per student each year.
Aside from rising costs, many students are uncertain about the time commitment required to earn a traditional degree. Depending on whether you go for an associate or bachelor's degree, a formal college degree can easily take anywhere from two to four (or more) years to complete.
By pursuing CE in healthcare instead of a degree — especially directly out of college — students can build career-ready skills that prepare them for medical career entry-level jobs. Plus, they can do so without being locked into a concrete academic path.
Additionally, CE in healthcare is becoming increasingly popular among recent high school graduates because it is one of the fastest-growing and most accessible fields in the United States. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment in healthcare professions is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2024 to 2034, with about 1.9 million openings projected annually on average.
Given this demand, many entry-level positions in healthcare (ranging from medical assistant to medical records specialist roles) do not necessarily require a formal degree as much as the appropriate postsecondary education and healthcare skill building.
For students who want to enter the healthcare workforce quickly, NMC offers a set of short, workforce-ready certificate programs that don't require a college degree to start — and can lead to employment in weeks or months, not years.
These four programs are built for exactly that kind of fast entry:
Each program is short by design. The goal is to get you credentialed, job-ready, and earning in the healthcare field as quickly as possible with a real credential that employers recognize.
And if a full degree is part of your longer-term picture, these certificates can serve as a launching pad. NMC's nursing and allied health degree programs are built to accommodate students who are already working in healthcare. The experience you gain as a CNA, phlebotomist, or pharmacy tech doesn't disappear when you decide to go further. It follows you.
NMC is also proud to offer a dedicated Learning Center that has been approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the VTL Center for Professional Development, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Our Learning Center is a professional development and continuing education center designed to support learners at all stages of their careers.
The NMC Learning Center (NMCLC) offers a mix of:
Powered by the Genius platform, many of our online courses offered here are self-paced and accessible anytime, providing the flexibility students need to balance their everyday responsibilities with college coursework.
The NMCLC intends to serve a diverse range of learners, including recent high school graduates seeking to explore career opportunities in healthcare free from the cost and commitment of a college degree. Likewise, the Learning Center supports:
We've aimed to make getting started with the NMCLC as simple as possible. After creating a free account here, simply browse the course catalog by category — exploring live CE, online CE, basic life support (BLS) training and other options to suit your needs.
From there, you can register for each course, add them to your cart and access learning directly through your personalized dashboard. You can also track your completed courses, download certificates and manage your registrations all from that same dashboard. The streamlined experience makes it easy to enroll and begin developing career-ready quickly.
At NMC, no matter which educational path you choose, we're firm believers that professional development and growth shouldn't end after completion of your program. That's why our CE for Life Initiative allows all NMC alumni to receive complimentary access to eligible live and online CE courses.
This alumni discount is automatically applied during registration through a brief verification process, offering a long-term benefit that rewards graduates who opt to pursue future degrees through NMC. And because healthcare regulations are constantly changing and evolving, the ability to keep up with relevant CE and healthcare professional development without incurring additional costs is a major advantage.
Through NMCLC, students have the freedom to work at their own pace while building valuable credentials apart from the commitment of a formal degree program. Whether you want to break into entry-level healthcare work or have plans to eventually earn your degree, the design of our CE platform makes it easy for learners to cultivate a rewarding career one step at a time.
So, what might your time look like at NMCLC?
You might begin by taking a variety of micro courses and badge modules to explore a wide range of healthcare specialties without committing to a single academic program. Through these self-paced, fully online courses/modules, you can refine practical skills that today’s healthcare employers are seeking.
You don't necessarily need a formal degree to thrive in the healthcare field. Certificate programs can provide in-depth and targeted preparation for numerous entry-level healthcare careers while strengthening professional qualifications. Currently, NMC offers the following certificate programs in healthcare:
Finally, as your own career goals and interests evolve, remember that you can always apply NMC's Prior Learning Policy to apply existing credits and education toward a qualifying NMC degree program. This could help reduce the total number of credit hours you need to earn your degree while saving you money on tuition. From nursing and allied health programs to healthcare management and beyond, we offer a variety of degrees to suit your needs.
Pursuing a career in healthcare doesn't have to mean launching into a four-year degree straight out of high school. Through Nebraska Methodist College's Learning Center, you have the freedom to explore the field, develop practical skills and earn recognized credentials without the commitment of a formal degree — and with the flexibility you need to balance your other life responsibilities.
Get in touch to request more information about our healthcare CE offerings and certificate programs. If you're eager to take the next step, you can start browsing coursework on the Genius platform now or even apply for admission to a program.