Many schools offer nondegree teacher certification programs. Entrance into certification programs generally requires a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.5 and an exam testing basic skills or content knowledge. Applicants typically sign up for background checks before entry since a criminal record may disallow teacher certification.
After admission, students take course work appropriate to the grade level they wish to teach. For instance, those wishing to teach elementary school may take children's literature, health education for elementary students, teaching math to elementary and middle school students, and reading in grammar school since these instructors typically teach a wide variety of subjects.
A health administration B.S. tends to include a heavy load of science, so teaching science at the secondary level may be a good option. Secondary educators may take courses about reading in the content area, and both elementary and secondary education majors learn about educational foundations, methods and diversity in the classroom.
State licensure requires practice teaching after classroom learning. The specific time requirements vary by state, but many schools’ programs require one semester of actual classroom experience, working along with a tenured teacher. Some programs include the compilation of a professional portfolio during this student teaching as well. A college or university evaluator performs several observations during the experience to evaluate the student's performance and give feedback to help hone the student teacher’s instructional techniques. Teaching you may have done in your experience in health care administration is generally not allowed as a substitute.
Once you pass all the classes and finish the student teaching experience, you still need to take a final test to obtain your teacher certification. Many states use the Praxis exam series. Teachers generally need to demonstrate basic skills understanding in reading, math and writing. Testing usually includes subject-specific and teaching questions to determine applicants' readiness for leading a classroom. If you did not complete such work as part of your healthcare administration B.S., some programs include further certification, such as CPR and first aid certification, before issuing a teaching license.