A concentration of area hospitals coupled with a high-demand for workers trained in medical professions has brought a new nurses training school to Ecorse Road in Ypsilanti.
Phlebotomy Career Training, run by Nancy Kimmel, had its grand opening Friday at 1145 Ecorse Road and is accepting students for its October session.
Kimmel said she’s been looking for a new location for the training school for a long time.
This former chiropractor's office at 1145 Ecorse Road in Ypsilanti is home to a new nurses training school, Phlebotomy Career Training.
Courtesy of Swisher Commercial
The free-standing building formerly was a chiropractic office and has been closed for several years. The interior offices in the building lend themselves perfectly to a nursing school environment, Kimmel said.
According to Swisher Commercial, the building was listed at a reduced price of $119,900. Dave Hamilton of Swisher brokered the deal.
Nursing professions are some of the fastest growing careers in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The high demand for nursing training programs also has been noticed by the staff at Washtenaw Community College. Admissions to the registered nursing program, a two-year associate’s degree program, have been capped this year because the limited number of instructional sites in the area can't accommodate the high demand.
Classes of 40 students each are admitted to the community college’s nursing program each fall and winter semester. WCC also offers certified nursing assistant training as well.
Though Phlebotomy Career Training doesn't offer full a registered nurse program, it does offer a slew of introductory training certifications.
Programs offered by the school include certified nursing assistants, phlebotomists — someone who is trained to collect blood samples in a clinical setting — IV technicians, EKG technicians, monitor and telemetry technicians, hazardous materials handlers, as well as clinical lab assistants.
Kimmel started the business four years ago at 28050 Ford Road in Garden City. She opened a location in Brownstown Township, but she said it wasn’t the right market. The license for the Brownstown facility is one she’s transferring to the Ypsilanti location.
Kimmel previously taught at Lawrence Tech for about eight years, and has been teaching for a total of 20 years. She's trained all of the instructors at the school as well.
About 98 percent of students in the training programs graduate.
“We give them entry-level experience,” Kimmel said.
Her students range in age from 18 to 65 years old, and are from diverse backgrounds: Fresh high school graduates; college students looking for practical experience; mothers looking for a career after raising their children; people going through hard times and looking to change careers; as well as a growing number of male students. Program costs average at about $800, and include course materials, stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs.
Kimmel said the success of the business is one she attributes to the success of her students.
“We get a lot of word of mouth,” Kimmel said.
Kimmel said she’s had students travel from across the state — including Traverse City, Grand Blanc, Kalamazoo, Port Huron and Toledo - to attend classes at her school.
Sessions begin every month and typically fill up fast, Kimmel said. The school is able to avoid waitlists by opening up additional classes if they reach their maximum enrollment.
Certified nurses assistants attend school for six weeks. Phlebotomists practice 30 draws in the school setting and then at least 100 draws in an externship.
Currently, Phlebotomy Career Training has contracts with St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and Heartland in Ann Arbor on Huron River Drive for externships for its students.
Depending on the program, classes are held once to twice a week in an 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. session or a 5 to 9:30 p.m. session.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.