In the news: Army sergeant nears dream of designing own prosthesis

The Tampa Tribune reported on the story of Army Sgt. 1st Class Billy Costello who, with the help of St. Petersburg College’s J.E. Hanger College of Orthotics and Prosthetics, is designing a device that would allow him to return to the level of activity he had as a Green Beret combat diver.

On Sept. 20, 2011, Costello stepped on an improvised explosive device in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He lost his right leg above the knee.

Arlene Gillis, the college’s Orthotics and Prosthetics program director, is coordinating the effort. SPC is part of a consortium with Florida State University offering a master’s in industrial engineering, a specialization in the management of orthotics and prosthetics, the Tribune reported.

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More than 200 SPC students attend HEC Career Day

St. Petersburg College students learned about jobs/career opportunities and spoke with local health-related companies at Career Day Oct. 29 at the Caruth Health Education Center. Some of the participating vendors were BayCare Health System, HCA Hospitals, Gracewood Rehabilitation, Florida Hospital Carrollwood, Sunstar Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and more. As students visited vendor tables, they received a stamp on their attendance card. Once they had at least 10 stamps, they were entered into a drawing for three Publix gift certificates. HEC Career Day is held every spring and fall.

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Radiography program among many that shine at SPC

St. Petersburg College’s health programs are highly effective at preparing graduates to become some of the best employees around.

Just take a look at the numbers: graduates routinely pass their certification exams above national averages and find work in their fields at very high rates. Also, employers rate our graduates favorably, noting they are very well suited for their careers.

In this infographic the success rates of the Radiography program are noted. Look for future graphics to highlight similar numbers for each of SPC’s career programs.

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SPC in the news: O&P Florida Keys research noted in national publication

St. Petersburg College’s recent research on underwater prosthetics in the Florida Keys with the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge was recently detailed in O&P Business News.

The online publication is produced by Healio.com, an in-depth specialty clinical information website featuring news reporting, multimedia and question-and-answer columns.

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O&P students participate in Never Say Never Pirate Camp for kids

Amputee youth from ages 4 to 17 joined their friends, families and 25 students from St. Petersburg College’s Orthotics and Prosthetics program at the Second Annual Adaptive Sailing Never Say Never Pirate Camp in Clearwater in October.

Sponsored by the Never Say Never Foundation, Pirates of the Care Free Being and Sailability Greater Tampa Bay, the three-day event was held at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center. Events were designed to teach ocean appreciation and sailing skills and the importance of following dreams. SPC students helped with the obstacle course and mobility and agility exercises and offered pilates sessions to the kids.

SPC senior Shanna Rousseau was as excited as event organizers because SPC’s attendance meant kids would get more individual attention.

“Any time I can work with kids, it’s uber rewarding because they don’t really think of themselves as having disabilities,” Rousseau said. “They can do anything.”

Last year, 11 families and 23 aspiring pirates took part in the event. The camp is supported solely through donations, which means campers and their families participate at no cost.

“This is a great event to help pediatric amputees and the community,” said Arlene Gillis, program director of the J.E. Hanger College of Orthotics & Prosthetics Program at SPC. “It’s really an amazing learning opportunity and allows our students to give back.”

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SPC in the news: Colleges cashing in on grants

Bay News 9 aired a segment that featured the college’s Orthotics and Prosthetics program.

SPC recently has been awarded a series of grants including $3.5 million in federal workforce grants, one for logistics/supply chain management training and another for orthotics and prosthetics career education.

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BSN students, professor create Positive Pickle Pledge Plus! code of conduct

St. Petersburg College Professor Sandy Campbell, PhD, RN and her Professional Roles class (first course in the RN-BSN program) co-created a code of conduct using concepts and principles from Dr. Cynthia Clark, author of the book, Civility in Nursing, and the work of Joe Tye, the Values Coach (“Pickle Pledge”).
In class, the students first ranked civil behaviors (from Clark and their course syllabus) then combined them with Tye’s pledge. They chose to focus on positive or civil behaviors rather than negative or uncivil behaviors, and included the SPC commitment to complete bracelet statement, thus the “Positive Pickle Pledge Plus”.
Students signed individual pledges that they kept and the large poster shown here with Dr. Campbell, center front row.

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SPC’s EMT program among nation’s best for degree value

St. Petersburg College and 19 other Florida state colleges are among the top institutions in the U.S. providing the best return on investment to emergency medical technician (EMT) graduates.

Fire Science Online recently identified the programs that offer the best value as a way to help students and families make informed decisions.

“People’s lives depend on the quality of care provided by EMTs and paramedics,” said Florida College System Chancellor Randy Hanna. “I commend our colleges for providing the job training needed to ensure the needs of our state are met while helping graduates achieve significant return on their investments.”

Since 2006, 88% of the graduates from SPC’s Emergency Medical Technician program have found jobs in the field, continued their education or entered the military.

“St. Petersburg College’s EMS program has a long tradition of excellence, with many of our graduates holding leadership positions in EMS and public safety agencies,” said Nerina J. Stepanovsky, program director and professor of EMS. “Our graduates make a difference in people’s lives every day. We will continue to offer high quality education to our EMT and paramedic students, leading to challenging employment and continuing education/degree options.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that demand for paramedics and emergency medical technicians will grow by 33 percent between 2010 and 2020.

Florida led the rankings as the state with the most institutions named to the top 80. Besides SPC, the other top Florida programs were at Broward College, College of Central Florida, Santa Fe College, Hillsborough Community College, Eastern Florida State College, Pensacola State College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Tallahassee Community College, Gulf Coast State College, Pasco-Hernando Community College, Northwest Florida State College,Valencia College, Palm Beach State College, Miami Dade College, Seminole State College of Florida, Polk State College, Indian River State College, Edison State College and Daytona State College.

More than 1,100 colleges in the U.S. offer EMT programs. Fire Science Online identified programs with the highest return on investment using national salary, tuition, enrollment and accreditation data. The list recognizes the institutions with significantly lower-than-average tuition rates in states where graduates are well paid.

“The cost of attending college is a concern for many students and their families,” said Chancellor Hanna. “I am extremely proud of our colleges for offering affordable, high-quality EMT programs that reward students with a good return on investment.”

The Florida College System shares graduation rates, employment statistics and earnings data for all programs through the Smart College Choices web portal.
For more information, view Fire Science Online’s rankings.

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In the news: Free health fair helps students prep for school

A reporter tagged along with a family who attended in a recent back-to-school health fair at SPC’s Health Education Center, WUSF News reported. The story looked at how health fairs help families who don’t have an easy or affordable way to make sure their children get the health care they need.

“At the health fair in Pinellas Park, it was one-stop shopping for free physicals and immunizations,” according to the article. “We have set a new record. We’re well over 200. Last year we did 193,” said Kenneth Webster of the Pinellas County Osteopathic Medical Society, which was one of the fair’s sponsors. “But I think the main thing is it’s a great service because our doctors volunteer, our nurses, everyone volunteers because they understand that everybody can’t afford a doctor’s care or physical exams.”

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In the news: St. Pete to become biotech mecca?

St. Petersburg College is “blazing a trail” in the areas of orthotics and prosthetics with its Comprehensive Innovation Center, according to a report on downtownstpete.ilovetheburg.com.

“This was my number one priority for the 2013 Legislative session,” State Rep. Kathleen Peters said in the article. Peters was one of the main supporters for the college’s program, the article stated.

“With the construction and soon to be operation of St. Petersburg College’s Center of Excellence, this budding, cutting-edge, local industry is something to keep our eyes on,” according to the article.

Earlier this year, Florida Sen. Jack Latvala and others from area colleges and organizations toured the J. E. Hanger College of Orthotics and Prosthetics at SPC’s Caruth Health Education Center. The tour was part of the college’s effort to launch a nationally recognized center in orthotics and prosthetics. The college reported there is an increasing need for O&P care due to issues such as a growth in reports of arthritis, obesity and diabetes in the country as well as the number of amputees returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

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