Epworth Allied Health tours inform,
inspire fifth-graders
by
Nate Miller
News editor
Fifth graders from Liberal toured Epworth Allied Health Center
Feb.9 and 11. Allied Health first began these student tours
in 1993.
Approximately 300 to 350 students come through the Epworth
Center every year in the spring semester. The tours are for
all of the fifth grade students in the Liberal schools.
"It's basically a recruitment tool," said Steve Hecox, division
chair for Allied Health. "We're trying to let students know
about the allied health field and the facilities at Seward County."
"We do have some who have come into the program who took the
tour," Hecox said. "If we can start them when they're young,
it plants a seed and they remember it."
Chris Higgins remembers taking the tour when he was a fifth-grader
at McDermott school.
"You know what you're like at that age," Higgins
said. "You don't really care." He said their teacher
had stepped out of the room when a college student happened
to walk in where the children on tour were waiting. He was surprised
to see the group of youngsters and asked what they were doing.
They explained they were on a tour.
"He said, 'Hey, I'll just grab some stuff and get out
of your way," Higgins said. But before he left, he turned
back to the fifth-grade group.
"I remember he said, 'Hey, let me talk to you guys for
a minute - if you ever want a profession where you can make
good money and you don't have to do a lot of schooling, respiratory
therapy is it,'" Higgins recalled of that day so long ago.
Years later, when Higgins was in the military overseas and
wondering what to do with his future, he remembered that SCCC
student's words and decided to come back to Liberal and enroll
in the Allied Health respiratory therapy program.
He liked the program and graduated in 1999.
Higgins is now in his third year as a certified respiratory
therapist at Southwest Medical Center in Liberal. It all started
as a passing comment during a fifth-grade tour.
The students who take this tour get to visit four stations:
Surgical Technology, Nursing, Respiratory Therapy and Medical
Lab Tech. Each of the divisions have their own presentations
during the tours.
When the students arrive at Epworth, they're divided into four
groups and rotate through the four areas and spend about 20
minutes in each area.
"We have a little presentation and try to let them do hands-on
things," Hecox said. For example, RT has a pig's lung, Surg
Tech instruments that students get to try and use and Nursing
has them simulate removing staples in an operation. Medical
Lab Tech has a scavenger hunt in the lab to try and find various
items.
SCCC students worked in each area helping give tours.
