Health Care

Transforming health care education

The Aspen Institute predicts that central Ohio will need 9,000 additional health care workers by 2028 to serve a growing and aging population. Columbus State is rising to meet the challenge, partnering with OhioHealth to make a $120 million investment to double the number of graduates in key health care fields.

Announcing the OhioHealth Center for Health Sciences

Columbus State leads Ohio's two-year colleges in registered nursing employment certification.

In June 2023, Columbus State and OhioHealth announced a joint investment totaling $120 million to address workforce shortages faced by provider networks in the region. The college will invest $67 million in voter-approved bond proceeds for a new, state-of-the-art building to be named The OhioHealth Center for Health Sciences. OhioHealth’s $25 million gift—believed to be one of the largest ever to support a U.S. community college—will establish an endowment to fund faculty and staff who train health care professionals in five targeted growth areas: nursing, surgical technology, medical imaging, respiratory therapy, and sterile processing.

Partnership highlights:

Columbus State will build a new 80,000-square-foot academic building—to be named The OhioHealth Center for Health Sciences—and renovate existing health care classrooms and labs using $85 million in voter approved bond funding.
The college will double the number of graduates in these areas over the next 10 years. On average, Columbus State currently enrolls about 1,500 students each year in the high-demand fields targeted by the partnership.
The Columbus State Foundation will raise at least $12 million in additional funding for student support and specialized equipment for medical simulation and other hands-on training.

This bold partnership will ramp up the talent pipeline within key professions that form the backbone of our health care community. Together, we will increase the pool of homegrown talent, keep regional health care strong, and address health disparities by attracting a workforce prepared to care for our diverse community.

Dr. Steve Markovich President and Chief Executive Officer, OhioHealth

Featured Programs

We've committed to doubling graduates in five key programs. We also have a variety of health care programs that can help you get your foot in the door - or take your career to the next level. View All Health Care Programs

Tops in Job Readiness

COLUMBUS STATE LEADS OHIO’S TWO-YEAR COLLEGES IN REGISTERED NURSING EMPLOYMENT CERTIFICATION

Columbus State graduates are well prepared for work, passing certification exams at rates that exceed state and national averages. For example, 88% of registered nursing program graduates have been certified for employability since 2020—the highest rate among Ohio’s community colleges that produce at least 50 yearly graduates.

COMING SOON: HIGH SCHOOL TO OHIOHEALTH IN DUBLIN

Columbus State, Dublin City Schools, and OhioHealth are partnering on a pathway to health care careers that will engage students as early as their junior year of high school. Participating students will complete coursework for Clinical Laboratory Assistant certificates and fulfill requirements for Medical Laboratory Technology degrees during their last two years of high school through College Credit Plus at the college’s Dublin Regional Learning Center. Students will also experience clinical settings in OhioHealth’s outpatient labs.

Upon high school graduation, students will move into paid phlebotomy or laboratory assistant positions with OhioHealth, whose tuition-payment benefits will allow students to complete associate degree and industry certification requirements at no cost. Students will also have options to continue on to bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, utilizing the same generous OhioHealth benefits.

The program is expected to launch in 2025, with the potential to extend programming into the event to accommodate adult learners.