Essential Skills

The following descriptions of hard and soft skills, along with some environmental demands, are intended to help students understand the expectations of future classroom and workplace environments. Please note that these descriptions are NOT admission requirements for program acceptance. Instead, they are designed to assist students in making informed decisions about their future.

Hard Skills

  • Constantly engaging in hand-eye coordination
  • Frequent dexterity (gripping/holding/carrying/using tools/using small parts of machinery)
  • Frequently engaging in repetitive motions
  • Communicate and understand fluent English verbally and in writing
  • Possess short- and long-term memory

Soft Skills

  • Give proper attention to personal hygiene and dress code
  • Make appropriate judgment decisions
  • Demonstrate the use of positive coping skills under stress
  • Demonstrate calm and effective responses, especially in emergency situations
  • Exhibit positive interpersonal skills with patients, staff, and faculty
  • Appropriate use of phone during class, clinical, and workplace
  • Attention to Detail/Meticulousness
  • Communication/Engaging with instructors and employers
  • Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
  • Dedication/Diligence/Reliability
  • Malleable and Teachable
  • Professionalism
  • Regular and reliable attendance
  • Punctuality/Time Management
  • Self-Regulation
  • Team Player

Environmental Demands

  • Tolerate intense noise and loud spaces without losing focus or becoming distracted
  • Constantly hearing/talking and standing/walking
  • Physical contact with patients
  • Tolerate hazardous working conditions
  • Tolerate hazardous conditions involving bloodborne pathogens
  • Lift a minimum of 25 pounds
  • Stand, bend, stoop, and/or sit for long periods with minimal or no breaks