The state-of-the-art building features a simulated operating room and virtual reality classroom.
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — As the healthcare industry continues to battle a talent shortage, Central Penn College is playing a role in preparing the next generation of workers.
School leaders have spent time talking with local health partners to learn what training and staffing is most needed. Surgical technologists were at the top of the list. They are the people who assist surgeons before, during, and after surgery, sterilizing instruments, handing out tools, and keeping operations running smoothly.
In response, the university opened a new Surgical Technology Education Center (STEC) on campus this week.
Doug Tilley and TKS Architects donated their services to help renovate the former warehouse building. UPMC provided the grant to help expand training options for future surgical technologists. The Cumberland County Commission also awarded a $1.4 million grant.
“You leave here with all the knowledge you need to be a surgical technologist,” said Brionna Crisamore, clinical coordinator of Central Penn’s surgical technology program.
The center provides the school’s more than 40 surgical technology students with resources to prepare them for the real world.
“When I started working here, we didn’t have this space, so it’s day and night to see the progress and see the potential we have now compared to when I started. is the same,” said Tikara Yearby, Central Penn’s Surgical Technology Program Director.
The center includes a mock operating room, as well as cleaning and storage rooms with hospital-grade sinks.
It also includes a virtual reality classroom where students can enter a virtual operating room.
“They’re practicing handling equipment or doing procedures that we can’t do here in the lab,” Yearby said.
Ms Crisamore said the new space will provide students with important experience before diving headfirst into what she believes is a rewarding career.
“I feel like everyone who does this has a love for what they do. You’re helping people and you’re really solving the root of their problem,” Crisamore said. .
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment prospects for surgical technologists to increase by 6% between 2021 and 2031.
