SPENCER, Iowa (KTIV) – Iowa Lakes Community College opened the doors of its Spencer campus to prospective students, health care professionals, and community members to explore their cutting-edge Surgical Technology Program in an open house.
Attendees had the opportunity to tour the newly upgraded Surgical Technology lab and observe live demonstrations. Like a state-of-the-art mannequin that’s changing the way students learn.
There’s a new patient at Iowa Lakes Community College.
“Chloe is amazing. To actually have real life happen in the classroom, you don’t have a better way to learn,” said Melissa Jacobsen, a surgical technology student.
Chloe is a high-fidelity patient simulator designed to give students a realistic training experience that prepares them for the demands of modern operating rooms.
“It suspends the disbelief,” explained Jered Kotschwar, Sales representative for Gaumard Scientific. “When these surgical tech students step into the OR for the first time, they might not have operated on a real patient yet, but they have had the closest thing to, and they are going to be a little bit more ready.”
From learning how to maintain a sterile field to helping with complex procedures, the surgical technology program at Iowa Lakes prepares students for a fast-paced surgical environment.
“We are hurting in every aspect of health care. And surgical techs are much needed in every hospital and every surgery,” said Tammy Shimon, Dean of Health Education. “So, they will have a wide-open employment when they go to search for a job.”
“As a community college, one of our primary missions is to build up the workforce in our region. And it takes opportunities like this to be able to put technology in place for students to get their hands on, so that when we do send them into the workforce, they can give something back to the entire community,” said Kyle Norris, Executive Dean.
In the meantime, students are able to perfect their skills in a safe and comfortable environment.
“I think having Chloe will really prepare me for if something does go bad. I’m not going to be nervous, I’m going to kind of know what’s going on,” Jacobsen explained.
If you would like to learn more about Iowa Lakes’ Surgical Technology program, you can find more information inside this link.
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