BREMERTON – As a military hub that is also on a fault line, the Puget Sound region is susceptible to a variety of manmade and natural emergencies.
Olympic College is doing its part to train the next crop of emergency management professionals by adding two new certificates to its existing Homeland Security and Emergency Management programs.
Launching Spring Quarter, the college will offer a Certificate of Completion in Tribal Homeland Security Emergency Management, and a Certificate of Recognition in Healthcare Emergency Management.
Both programs are currently enrolling students for Spring Quarter, which begins April 3.
Tribal Homeland Security Emergency Management
The 27-credit Tribal Homeland Security Emergency Management Certificate of Completion is specifically designed for tribal emergency management professionals. Graduates will be prepared for programmatic roles in the rapidly evolving Homeland Security and Emergency Management profession for their tribe and neighboring communities while ensuring preservation of tribal culture and heritage.
Healthcare Emergency Management
The 13-credit Healthcare Emergency Management Certificate of Recognition prepares students to take on emergency management duties as part of an existing healthcare job, or to potentially embark on a new career in healthcare emergency management, especially when paired with a degree in healthcare, emergency management, or related fields.
The new programs join the college’s existing Homeland Security and Emergency Management offerings: The 26-credit Certificate of Completion in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the two-year Associate in Applied Sciences-Transfer degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Olympic College offers the Emergency Management degree through a cooperative agreement with Pierce College. Courses are hosted and taught online by Pierce College faculty and are made available to Olympic College students via this agreement.
“The programs prepare students for a variety of local hazards,” said Sarah Miller, Department Chair and Assistant Professor, Emergency Management at Pierce College.
“Emergency management is a growing field, with jobs in the public, private, and non-profit sectors,” she said. “The Puget Sound region is prone to a number of hazards, including earthquakes, floods, storms, and cyber threats, just to name a few. Students will learn how to prepare their communities and organizations for disaster, and how to respond if one does occur.”
Stephen Quinn, Olympic College’s faculty advisor for the emergency management programs, noted that the general certificate in Emergency Management has been completely retooled to frontload the most essential skills for entry into the profession. The new certificate programs offer students a chance to develop skills more specific to their interests or expertise.
“Our new certificates in Tribal Emergency Management and Healthcare Emergency Management open the pathway to those with interest, expertise, and/or responsibilities in other parts of our communities,” he said. “The professionals who provide instruction are recognized experts who work in the field.”
Olympic College President Marty Cavalluzzi expressed excitement at the opportunity to offer additional pathways for students to earn a professional certificate.
“We couldn’t be happier to expand our certificate offerings in such an important field,” he said. “Every moment counts in an emergency, and having highly trained and competent professionals at the helm during an incident is crucial. These programs help ensure we have such leaders in our community when we need them most.”
All of the college’s emergency management programs equip the next generation of emergency management and policy leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to improve outcomes in all types of disasters. Students gain practical experience with current incident management technologies and are instructed in competencies required for emergency management careers in federal, state or local government.
Learn more about our Homeland Security & Emergency Management programs on our website.
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Olympic College is recognized as one of the top community colleges in the nation. In 2017, the College received the Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership Award from the American Association of Community Colleges in recognition of its partnership with PSNS & IMF. In 2015, the College was an Aspen Prize finalist, the preeminent national recognition for community and technical colleges. OC offers a variety of pathways for students to achieve their goals, from certificates and associate degrees to bachelor’s and beyond. Aspirations Achieved. Olympic.edu
