Cath Lab Digest - September 2007 - (Page 46)

46 SICP: CVT SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT SEPTEMBER 2007 Harrisburg Area Community College Lois Schaffer, BHS, RT(R), RCIS Cardiovascular Technology Program Director Associate Professor Cardiovascular Technology Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Lois Schaffer, CVT Program Director, gets ready for class with the sophomore invasive CVT students. Why and how did you become an educator? I began as a radiologic technologist. I am certified in radiologic technology and also am a registered cardiovascular invasive specialist (RCIS). I have a bachelor’s degree from Gwynedd-Mercy College in Gwynedd Valley, PA, and will complete a master’s degree at Penn State University this fall. I first became an educator at Gwynedd-Mercy College where I served as instructor and clinical coordinator under the direction of Andrea Reiley-Helzner, a wonderful mentor and friend. I have always been drawn to education. Throughout my career, I took advantage of every teachable opportunity. I love education and my goal is to challenge and inspire the students to become excellent representatives of our profession. How long has your program been in operation? Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), central Pennsylvania’s community college, began a cardiac sonography program in 2000. We added the invasive curriculum in 2003. We currently offer both programs, which consist of 71 credits each. Can you describe your program syllabus, both clinical and classroom? The program begins with 19 credits of general education, including courses such as English composition and speech. The student progresses to Anatomy and Physiology I and II and College Algebra, along with a freshman-level Introduction to Cardiovascular Technology, an Introductory Lab and a 120-hour clinical experience in EKG, stress testing and Holter monitoring. After successful completion of those courses, the student applies to the clinical portion of the program. The students have 960 hours of clinical supplemented by 12 hours of lecture and/or lab per week in the fall semester, with 6 hours a week in the spring semester. The clinical portion of the program is 15 months. How many students do you accept each year? The college has open enrollment. We have 36 freshman. Not all determine that cardiovascular technology is their profession of choice. We accept 8 students in the invasive curriculum and 10 students in the cardiac sonography curriculum, which begins each May. What backgrounds do students generally have? HACC students come from varying backgrounds. Some students have bachelors’ degrees and are seeking second careers, while others are recent high school graduates. What is your program’s annual tuition? Our annual tuition is approximately $7,100. What textbooks, CDs, and/or websites are used in your classes? We mix hands-on with classroom and clinical field trips to enable students to build on their skills. We recommend the following texts (title and publisher): • Grossman’s Cardiac Catheterization, Angiography and Intervention (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins) • Pathophysiology of Heart Disease (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins) • The Cardiac Catheterization Handbook (Mosby) • The Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Handbook (Mosby) • Hemodynamic Rounds (Wiley Liss) • Illustrated Field Guide to Congenital Heart Disease and Repair (Scientific Software Solutions) • Drugs for the Heart CVT program full-time faculty. From left to right: Pamela Pacana, Cardiac Sonography Clinical Coordinator, Lois Schaffer, CVT Program Director, and Kristy Schultz, Invasive Clinical Coordinator. Students Emily Keefer and Jaclyn Leeper prepare heparinized saline bags during Invasive Lab. • • • • (Elsevier Saunders) Introduction to 12 Lead ECG: The Art of Interpretation (Jones and Bartlett) Basic Arrhythmias (Brady) Introduction to Health Care (Delmar) The Virtual Cath Lab (Lawrence Education Media) What types of clinical experiences do you offer students? Students rotate through diagnostic and interventional labs. We partner with our clinical affiliates, who are extremely supportive of our program and enable the students to receive the best possible experience.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cath Lab Digest - September 2007

St. Dominic Hospital The Genous Bio-engineered R Stent Percutaneous Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Chronic Total Occlusions: Device Options and Clinical Outcomes Contents Clinical Editor’s Corner Percutaneous Revascularization of Peripheral Chronic Total Occlusion — Which Patients, Why, and How? Myocardial Infarction and Syncope: A Manifestation of the “Raynaud-Prinzmetal Syndrome”? Essential Technical Components of the Transradial Approach If You Build It, Will They Come? Evidence-Based Medicine with Drug-Eluting Stents Back to School: The Value of Education in Cardiovascular Services The ACVP Standards and Competencies: Are You Using Them Effectively? What Do You Think? My Experience with Fibromuscular Dysplasia and Stroke A Brief Review of Fibromuscular Dysplasia Letter to the Editor A Look at On-the-Job Training: Perceptions, Reality and Our Profession Doing the Wave: Inventory Management with RFID The Ten-Minute Interview with… Paul Pinsker, RCIS CLD’s Annual Salary Survey Harrisburg Area Community College Volunteer Survey CEU Education Center SICP* Section Ask the Clinical Instructor: A Q&A Column for Those New to the Cath Lab Clinical & Industry News

Cath Lab Digest - September 2007

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