College-minded students, overwhelmed by piles of possibilities as they consider which career path to follow, can sort through the clutter of options during a revealing visit to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Spring Open House.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 6, members of the Penn College community will welcome potential students and their families, sharing their unique experiences from an institution that has helped tomorrow makers find their niche for more than a century.
Fifteen members of the first graduating class from Pennsylvania College of Technology’s physical therapist assistant major have taken the national physical therapy exam for physical therapist assistants, and all 15 passed on their first try.
The 2017 national pass rate for the NPTE physical therapist assistant exam is 87 percent.
The college’s dental hygiene program partnered with the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists’ Association and local dentists and hygienists, who volunteered their efforts, to provide free dental services to 32 children during “Sealant Saturday” on March 2. Their work included placing 184 dental sealants, equaling about $6,000 worth of free services, during this community outreach event.
Building construction has been added to the abounding schedule of pre-college initiatives offered at Pennsylvania College of Technology, hands-on summer activities that mirror the nationally renowned opportunities afforded postsecondary students.
“Our Pre-College Programs offer living and learning experiences in which students have opportunities to explore unique academic interests in a state-of-the-art environment,” said Deborah B. Wescott, manager of conference and guest relations. “It’s a chance to work and make connections with industry leaders, meet and mingle with your peers, and establish a path that could lead to all sorts of future possibilities.”
The signup deadline is May 31 for the institution’s 12 residential programs and its one day camp.
Members of the state House Majority Policy Committee were among the Friday visitors to main campus, delighting in an illuminating tour of select instructional labs and learning about Penn College’s role – both academically and through apprenticeships – in enhancing the commonwealth’s skilled labor pool. College administrators, joined by local Reps. Garth D. Everett and Jeff C. Wheeland, welcomed a contingent of Republican lawmakers who research and generate policy proposals aimed at improving the quality of life in The Keystone State: Chair Donna Oberlander, of Clarion; Russell H. Diamond, of Lebanon; Marcia M. Hahn, Wind Gap; Tina Pickett, of Towanda; and Tommy Sankey, of Clearfield. The group, joined by legislative staff and local media, toured instructional areas for nursing, dental hygiene, plastics and welding; learned about efforts toward workforce development; and traveled to Lycoming Engines, a mainstay of the local economy for whom the college’s Metal Trades Center is named.
State Rep. Clinton D. Owlett, who represents the 68th legislative district (all of Tioga County and parts of Bradford and Potter counties), visited Penn College on Thursday. Accompanied by aide Kim Johns, Owlett began at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center, hearing themes that would echo throughout his day: the college’s status as a “true commonwealth asset,” the primacy of business and industry partnerships, students’ enhanced marketability from the incorporation of core subjects in their chosen majors, and the life-altering and career-building potential of “degrees that work.” After touring diesel, power generation and forestry laboratories, Owlett traveled to main campus for lunch at Le Jeune Chef Restaurant and stops at nursing, collision repair/automotive restoration, and culinary arts and hospitality. An assemblyman since May 2018, the Wellsboro Republican serves on the Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Appropriations, Commerce, Game & Fisheries, and Health committees.
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.
Jonathan Adzema, a 2014 Penn College nursing graduate who is pursuing a master’s degree to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist, returned to campus Monday to talk with current students who may be interested in entering the advanced practice. He offered students real-world perspective on the field and provided the candid advice that only a fellow alumnus can, fielding questions about how to study and what to look for in a graduate school. Adzema explained that, among an anesthetist’s duties in an operating room, a CRNA serves as an all-seeing eye who keeps a patient safe while he or she is unable to speak – or even breathe – for himself or herself. Anesthetists, he said, must know how anesthesia drugs can affect a patient’s pre-existing conditions or interact with prescriptions, vigilantly monitor vital signs, and understand the surgical procedure at hand and the stresses it will put on the patient’s body. CRNAs can work not only in hospitals but also in the military, ambulatory surgery centers, gastrointestinal labs, dental surgeons’ offices and many other settings.
A health information management student at Pennsylvania College of Technology was selected as a student liaison by the Pennsylvania Health Information Management Association.
Kathleen S. Baumer, of New Columbia, is one of three students chosen for the position. PHIMA selected the liaisons based on their skills, their commitment to a career in health information management and their written communication.
A haven for hands-on learning since it first welcomed students more than 30 years ago, the occupational therapy assistant lab at Pennsylvania College of Technology has been updated to provide an even more realistic simulation space for students.
The lab, which provides education to students pursuing associate degrees in occupational therapy assistant, was renovated for the 2018-19 academic year.
Pennsylvania College of Technology will begin exploring the addition of a second master’s degree to its slate of academic offerings.
The Penn College Board of Directors on Thursday authorized the college administration to begin developing the curriculum for a Master of Science in Nursing.
Once the curriculum is developed and approved through campus processes, it will come back to the board for final approval.
The new MSN degree is proposed to have two program options: family nurse practitioner and nursing education. It would be offered online, allowing students to balance work, family and school obligations. Full-time students would complete their degree requirements within two years.
Free dental care – including screenings, sealants, fluoride varnish treatment and education – is available to children ages 7 to 15 on Saturday, March 2, in the Pennsylvania College of Technology Dental Hygiene Clinic.
The event is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists’ Association as part of its Sealant Saturday initiative. Sealant Saturday events are held across the state.
The Penn College event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon. The college’s Dental Hygiene Clinic is on the second floor in the west wing of the Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center.
Pennsylvania College of Technology’s physical therapist assistant program has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.
Accreditation is a process used in the United States to assure the quality of the education that students receive. It is a voluntary, nongovernmental, peer-review process that occurs on a regular basis.
The latest episode of a locally produced, award-winning public television series emphasizes the importance of caring individuals who provide for the health and well-being of the community.
“Working Class: Helping & Healing,” produced by Pennsylvania College of Technology and WVIA Public Media, premieres on WVIA-TV at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21 (with rebroadcasts at 1 p.m. Friday, March 22, and 11 a.m. Sunday, March 24). It highlights the importance of science, math, communication and hands-on experience in preparing students for success in health and human service careers.
The film features Penn College faculty, administrators and students who serve the community in helping and healing roles. Among them is Thomas A. Zimmerman, associate professor of psychology, who counseled area residents after the TWA Flight 800 crash in July 1996. He discusses the importance of people coming together to help one another and to heal in the wake of tragedy.
Throngs of visitors will soon converge on Harrisburg to celebrate the commonwealth’s agricultural prominence, and Pennsylvania College of Technology students and employees will be there to help honor the event’s 2019 theme of “Inspiring Pennsylvania’s Story.”