Fulton-Montgomery Community College is in the process of adding a new curriculum that could save students two very important things: Time and money. Our Maria Valvanis explains how some students' futures may be able to arrive a little quicker and cheaper than before.

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JOHNSTOWN, N.Y. -- “It's been a number of years since we've had a new program, so we’re very excited to have this,” said Diana Putnam, FMCC Dean of Business Technology and Health Professions.

Six years to be exact since Fulton Montgomery Community College has added a new program to their curriculum. But President Dustin Swanger says as early as next spring that could all change.

“We thought it was really important for us to look at options beyond our nursing program, beyond our rad tech program, that would prepare people for the health care field,” Swanger said.

Thus proposing the Health Studies Program and Health Science Program, which would give students the opportunity to explore the wide range of medical careers available to them without wasting extra time or money.

“What students typically do is they enter community college and they take the basic level liberal arts courses, which, that's a good way to go, but certain things like physiology and anatomy and some of the math and science courses, may not be required in those first few years, so in that respect, they may have to repeat courses that they could have been taken somewhere else,” said Cindy Close, FMCC Radiologic Program Director and Instructor.

The proposed new programs will alleviate that problem, allowing students to take general required medical classes immediately until they figure out the specific field they are interested in.

“They have a big cost savings in their first two years to get all their pre-requisite science courses and transfer on to be juniors at four year unions,” Putnam said.

Or even to go straight to work. Students will have the opportunity to work alongside representatives from local hospitals, like St. Mary’s, to help determine what local employment opportunities are available to them.

Swanger said, “Our goal is always to serve our community. And for us to put these programs in place that prepare students for employment in our region is exactly what we are trying to do.”

FMCC is waiting to get the final approval for the programs from SUNY and State Ed, but plan to start offering the programs in the spring of 2013.