Students from Penn College’s School of Nursing & Health Sciences and School of Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications joined area law enforcement, emergency management and health care professionals in a recent simulation at UPMC Susquehanna Williamsport Regional Medical Center and a variety of other locations.
The college’s paramedic program has participated in the drill since its inception, and this year, the School of Nursing & Health Sciences decided to participate schoolwide to provide an interdisciplinary learning opportunity. The school had conducted its own Interdisciplinary Professional Experience on campus for several years.
The Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania and the PPL Foundation held a free STEAM Lab at Penn College from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, providing more than 250 girls and young women – from kindergarten through 12th grade – with a hands-on look at Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics pursuits while learning and working with Penn College instructors and students. Attendees worked side-by-side with Penn College faculty/staff and students to earn badges and take part in workshops. Girl Scouts also heard from campus leaders about the future of STEAM and garnered “Spark Curiosity” patches for their participation.
On April 24, Pennsylvania College of Technology will host an information session on its emergency medical services/paramedic program and its emergency medical technician course.
The event is scheduled at 7 p.m. in the college’s Klump Academic Center, Room 10.
Students in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s paramedic program have joined Penn State Emergency Medical Services to provide coverage at the university’s seven 2018 home football games in Beaver Stadium.
“Penn State EMS is charged with providing standby coverage at every home football game,” explained Christopher T. Boyer, director of paramedic technology programs at Penn College. “EMS providers are strategically placed throughout the stadium and respond to any medical or traumatic emergency that may occur both within and around Beaver Stadium. Considering Beaver Stadium is the second-largest football stadium in the country, seating 106,572 people, this is no small task.”
An emergency management technology major who is a survivor of last year’s Las Vegas shooting shared her story with fellow Pennsylvania College of Technology students and faculty Monday night in the Student & Administrative Services Center’s Presentation Room.
Emergency management, human services, nursing and emergency medical services/paramedic students were among those who listened intently and respectfully to Robyn N. Wolfe’s harrowing story. Her husband, William “Bill” Wolfe Jr., was the sole Pennsylvania fatality in the horrific mass shooting that claimed 58 lives and injured more than 800 people.
The School of Nursing & Health Sciences at Pennsylvania College of Technology held a multifaceted celebration on Oct. 4 by hosting an open house of its facilities and welcoming accomplished alumni, who reflected on how their education has shaped their careers.
“We come together … to celebrate the positive impact all 10 of our nursing and health sciences programs have on our students’ lives, the professions in which they work, and the communities they serve,” said Sandra L. Richmond, dean of nursing and health sciences.
Of particular significance during the celebration was a change to the school’s name: from the School of Health Sciences to the School of Nursing & Health Sciences, and the anniversaries of the occupational therapy assistant program, whose first students graduated 30 years ago, and the physician assistant program, which graduated its first students 20 years ago.
Forty-three students in Pennsylvania College of Technology’s physician assistant and emergency medical services/paramedic programs will be on hand to help serve the health care needs of spectators and players at the Little League Baseball World Series, Aug. 16-26.
The event draws tens of thousands of spectators over 11 days as 16 U.S. and international Little League teams vie for the championship in South Williamsport, just a short drive from the Penn College main campus.
“We are proud to have our physician assistant and paramedic students participate with interdisciplinary members of the health care team to assist with providing care to Little League players from around the world,” said Sandra L. Richmond, dean of nursing and health sciences. “This event is an excellent example of the cross-cultural service learning opportunities we provide for our students.”
An on-the-job photo of Christopher T. Boyer, an alumnus and director of Penn College’s paramedic technology program, accompanies an article in the magazine of Wilmington University (another of his alma maters).An on-the-job photo of
Christopher T. Boyer, director of Penn College’s paramedic technology program, is featured in the summer issue of WilmU, the magazine of Wilmington University. Boyer received a Doctor of Business Administration degree from Wilmington in 2017 and is a 2003 graduate of Penn College with an associate degree in paramedic technology. The article highlights Boyer’s vision for the future of paramedic education, “to train highly skilled technicians who not only understand theory but are able to make wise life-and-death decisions under pressure.” It also discusses Boyer’s doctoral research, which finds that paramedic students who have used high-fidelity patient simulators require 19 percent fewer patient contacts to fully demonstrate mastery of their skills. Penn College uses such patient simulators in its paramedic and nursing programs.
Cromley, Moroff enjoy a LLWS reunion.Emergency medical personnel, reporting for duty at Howard J. Lamade Stadium
Before we shelve the PCToday scrapbook from this year’s Little League Baseball World Series, let’s thumb through a few more pages featuring members of the Penn College family. Among the ex-Little Leaguers on hand when the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals met at BB&T Ballpark on Aug. 20 was Bucs infielder Max Moroff. And among those happiest to see him was Marlin R. Cromley, a campus employee who was the team’s host when Moroff’s Maitland, Florida, team faced Newtown in the U.S. semifinal at the 2005 series. “Always a wonderful time to meet up with a former player,” said Cromley, a cashier/customer service associate in The College Store, who this year was “uncle” to the Asia-Pacific team representing Seoul, South Korea. “Not to mention meeting a former player that makes it to the majors!” Cromley is one of two team hosts who work at the college; Bruce A. Sechrist, a General Services horticulturist at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center, this year was assigned to the Midwest team from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As noted earlier, the series’ health care team was at the ready for players and fans alike – including scores of students from Penn College’s School of Health Sciences. Representing the college on Sunday’s championship day are (from left) emergency medical services major Keith M. Ray, Montoursville; Bambi A. Hawkins, interim director of paramedic technology programs; and EMS students Michelle K. Waughen, Montgomery; James A. Babinetz, Doylestown; and Abdullah F. Qindil, Houston. Photos provided
Along the shore of the Susquehanna, WNEP’s Kristina Papa interviews emergency medical services student James A. Babinetz.Students receive a pre-activity overview from Williamsport Bureau of Fire’s Ken Smith.A full slate of hands-on learning: Two Williamsport Bureau of Fire boats take students out to practice pulling their classmates out of the water, while students on the dock practice throwing lines to their classroom colleagues.A paramedic student perfects her pitch, throwing a line to a waiting classmate.Under watch by Williamsport Bureau of Fire personnel, a student pulls a classmate toward the boat.
WNEP’s Kristina Papa visited Penn College’s paramedic program on Wednesday as first-year students completed their final day of Rescue Awareness and Operations training. Under the lead of the Williamsport Bureau of Fire and the Central Area Fire Chiefs’ Association, the students dove into the Susquehanna River for a hands-on lesson in boat-based water rescue operations at Susquehanna State Park, using equipment lent by the Williamsport Bureau of Fire. During the morning, the students practiced shore-based water rescue along Lycoming Creek near Bowman Field. The four-day Rescue Awareness and Operations activities also included field trips to the CAFCA facility for training in vehicle rescues and rope rescues and to Frito-Lay for confined-space operations, along with lessons in handling carbon monoxide incidents and gas leaks. The events are the finale of a summer course in Operations and Rescue Practices for the Paramedic, which entailed emergency vehicle driver training, a visit to the Life Flight hangar, training for hazardous materials and crime scene incidents, and a tactical emergency casualty course. Throughout the summer, the students were taught not only by Penn College faculty, but by area professionals that included the Penn College Police, Lycoming County coroner, UPMC Susquehanna emergency department, Geisinger Life Flight, CAFCA and the local fire bureau. Papa interviewed Bambi Hawkins, interim director of paramedic technology programs, students Ali T. Alnasir, of Williamsport, James A. Babinetz, of Doylestown, and Michelle K. Waughen, of Montgomery, and Assistant Fire Chief Mark Killian. The story aired during Wednesday evening’s newscasts.
A large group of Pennsylvania College of Technology students is set to join the medical team at the 2017 Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport this August.
The students are pursuing careers as physician assistants and paramedics. During the 11-day tournament, they will serve both participants and spectators of the series, which draws 16 teams from around the world, and tens of thousands of fans each day.
“Our paramedic and physician assistant programs deeply appreciate the clinical practice our students gain from such an exciting annual international event as the Little League World Series just across the river from campus,” said Edward A. Henninger, dean of health sciences.
Health Sciences students traveled to Williamsport Regional Airport, where one of Geisinger’s Life Flight helicopters was being serviced.
Students in the paramedic technician and emergency medical services majors visited the hangar for Geisinger’s Life Flight helicopter on Wednesday, where the three-person crew gave them an overview of its services and talked about safety protocols when on the scene of a Life Flight landing. Each year, as part of a summer Operations and Rescue Practices for the Paramedic course, students learn about crime scene awareness, medical incident command and emergency vehicle operations, including a landing by Life Flight and hands-on Emergency Vehicle Driver Training. On Wednesday, because the helicopter was undergoing a parts replacement, the Penn College students visited the helicopter at its hangar at the Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville. There, flight medic Kevin Niedzwiecki, a part-time instructor at Penn College, and other crew members provided insight and a hands-on demonstration. The photo was provided by Andrew L. Mattocks, a part-time Penn College instructor and Life Flight employee (and full-time ICU nurse) who received Penn College degrees in paramedic technology (’06), applied health studies (’11) and nursing (’17) and provided an on-campus lecture in fight operations earlier this summer.
The Lycoming Tioga Sullivan Emergency Medical Services Council recently presented its 2017 Kline A. DeWire Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s director of paramedic technology programs.
The award is the most prestigious honor that the council presents, said Wendy S. Hastings, director of the LTS EMS Council, as she introduced its recipient, Mark A. Trueman, at a recent awards ceremony. It was established to recognize an EMS provider who has exhibited an ongoing and extraordinary dedication to the community and whose significant contributions to emergency medical services and the community personify the selfless giving, compassion and commitment that are DeWire’s legacy.
Occupational therapy assistant student Rachel N. Zimmerman, of Pine Grove, shows physician assistant student Zachary S. Kimble, of Bellefonte (acting as a hip-replacement patient who later in the simulation would have a stroke) and other students watching how to use a “reacher” to help with dressing. Observing is Christine A. Tilburg, clinical director of physical therapist assistant.Emergency medical services student Ian P. McClure, of Littlestown, and paramedic technician student Megan E. Bobby, of Dysart, explain the actions they would take when called to the Dental Hygiene Clinic to help a patient experiencing an allergic reaction to Novocain.Surgical technology students simulate a laparoscopic gall bladder removal.
Around 250 students in the School of Health Sciences – an academic division that spans 11 distinct health care and allied health fields – are participating this week in a series of hands-on emergency health simulations. The school’s fourth annual Interdisciplinary Professional Event involves 24 student teams, each made up of a cross section of health disciplines, discussing and observing one another’s role in their assigned case. Students in the physician assistant major played roles of patients, whose health problems ranged from an allergic reaction to Novocain in the Dental Hygiene Clinic to a loss of consciousness in the Keystone Dining Room, and surgeries to replace hips and remove gallbladders. As “patients” moved through the health care system, they moved, with their observers, from lab to lab in the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center. The purpose of the experience is to prepare the students to deliberatively work together as patients interact with each of them during their health care experience, with an ultimate goal to improve patient care. Also involved were 23 staff and faculty from the school, who planned and managed the event and led groups through their simulations on Tuesday and Thursday.
From left, Mark A. Trueman, director of the Paramedic Technology Program; Linda Patrick, daughter of the late William E. Henry; Kelle Johnson, his fiancée; Molly J. Durland, recipient of the William E. Henry Memorial Scholarship; Heather, Matthew and Lilly Henry, William’s daughter-in-law, son and granddaughter; and Robb Dietrich, executive director of the Penn College Foundation.
The family of William E. Henry gathered on campus Thursday to deliver a check that brings the scholarship fund established in his name to fully endowed status. Henry was a pioneer in Lycoming County’s emergency medical services. He was in the first graduating class from the Williamsport Hospital School of Paramedic Training – the Penn College emergency medical services program’s predecessor – and served many vital roles as a leader, instructor and paramedic. The William E. Henry Memorial Scholarship is open to students in the college’s emergency medical services associate-degree major or paramedic technician certificate major who are residents of Bradford, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan Tioga and Union counties and who have a minimum GPA of 2.5. Molly J. Durland, an emergency medical services student from Dushore, is the 2016-17 recipient and joined the family for a photo. The family gathered later Thursday evening to celebrate the scholarship becoming fully endowed and to remember the life and contributions of Henry.
