Dorsey Schools Moves Classes Online to Serve Needs of Students and Local Healthcare Industry

As we are all doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan, many have had to adapt to how we now approach education in our state. Local K-12 students have traded their school desk for the kitchen table as a place for learning, and students at colleges and universities are preparing to wrap up their semester online in the days ahead. We have also heard about medical and nursing schools accelerating their graduates to get them on the frontlines to help our already taxed healthcare system. There is also another group of professionals that are (and will be) needed to help keep our healthcare system running; these individuals are found working in healthcare support occupations. Dorsey Schools, a trusted name in career training in Michigan for over 85 years, is doing its part to help answer the call for skilled healthcare professionals. Classes for many of the healthcare programs at Dorsey Schools have been moved online to allow students to continue their training and to help fill the needs in our local communities. According to the Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, employment of those working in healthcare support occupations in Michigan is projected to grow 22.7% from 2016 to 2026.* Healthcare support occupations includes professionals such as Medical Assistants, Patient Care Technicians, and Dialysis Patient Care Technicians, just to name a few. In addition to having Doctors and Nurses prepared to treat patients, our healthcare system will also need trained support staff to help meet the demand for quality care.

“We see this move to online as doing our part, and it’s as important as ever,” commented John Barnes, President and CEO for Dorsey Schools. “We’re training the healthcare professionals of tomorrow. These students are going to be among those on the frontlines once they graduate and are in the field. They will be among many of the people we have deemed ‘essential’. Our healthcare system doesn’t stop in times of a crisis, as evidenced over the past few weeks. Doctors’ offices, hospitals, ambulance companies and long-term care facilities are all going to need skilled professionals, both now and later. We want to do what we can to not only help our students complete their training, but also help the healthcare providers in our local Michigan communities.” Barnes is also glad that students are able to continue their training during these challenging times. “Routine is important for all of us. Our students are no different. We wanted to be able to allow our healthcare students to continue their classes online in hopes of adding a bit of normalcy to their lives during a time where all of us have had to adapt to an abnormal set of circumstances.” Some of the programs currently being offered online at Dorsey Schools include Medical Assistant, Practical Nurse, Patient Care Technician, and Dialysis Patient Care Technician, among others. As soon as the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order in Michigan is lifted, classes will resume shortly thereafter at Dorsey Schools campuses. In the meantime, Dorsey Schools’ staff are available and working remotely to help support current and future students.

Dorsey Schools was founded in 1934 as the “Calculating and Secretarial Institute” and later renamed “The Dorsey School” by its owner, Ruth Dorsey. Today, Dorsey Schools has campus locations throughout Michigan and offers comprehensive career training in the fields of allied health, nursing, culinary arts, cosmetology, skilled trades, and emergency medical services. Dorsey Schools is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education. This applies to the Madison Heights campus (which serves as the main campus) and the Dearborn, Roseville, Saginaw, Woodhaven, Waterford-Pontiac, and Wayne campuses (which are branch campus locations of Madison Heights). Dorsey School of Beauty – Taylor is institutionally accredited by the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences (NACCAS) and serves as a main campus. To learn more about Dorsey Schools, you may visit online at www.dorsey.edu.

If you would like more information about this event, or to schedule an interview, please call John O’Sullivan at (248) 220-5909 or email John O’Sullivan at josullivan@dorsey.edu.