"Scalpel, please"

Blogs, blogs, and more blogs! Blogtasic Information!

2010-04-09T11:13:00.000-05:00

Whoa, I guess people really do read blogs! I just found a link to my blog in a random google search that an imprint company that produces Surgical Tech merchandise had posted. In the meantime, I found these awesome blogs that several surgeons posted. Check em' out! Many, many, medical topics besides surgery also!

http://surgicaltechnicianschools.org/?page_id=63

As for me, I'm off to the Iowa State Assembly meeting for the weekend. I will post pictures later!

TGIF~Need a good laugh?

2010-03-26T15:04:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here chuckling at a cute little website. It is called laryngospasms.com and I stumbled across it while googling some information for anesthesia. This group is made up of CRNA's or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, you know the guy who usually puts you to sleep while you are a patient having surgery but these guys can SING you to sleep! The best part is that they make up parodies about surgery, anesthesia and other fun medical stuff. They've got some fun songs like: "Scopin USA," "Anesthesia Dreamin," "Mr. Gasman,""Breathe," and "The Intubation". Need a good laugh? Check 'em out at: http://www.laryngospasms.com/fr_index.cfm

As for me it is 3:00 Friday and I am still here, which should tell you that it is crazy-busy around here at the Spencer Campus. We just returned from spring break last week, which I have to just say, the weather has really helped to perk me up! But with spring break comes midterm grades and the realization that there is really only about 6-8 weeks of time for course content left, and so....the countdown begins! The students are doing great in their practicum sites and the instructors here have been out visiting. I also can report that everytime I go do a site visit, I come back ready to resign and go back to the operating room. It makes me miss it soooo much to be standing in those rooms again with a patient on the table! However it doesn't take me too long once I'm back with students to know that this is indeed the right place for me. We have many, many, many positive changes in store for us at the Spencer Campus and I can't wait to be part of it!! We took some new photos last week and I will be updating them soon. Have a great weekend everyone. I hope that you are able to enjoy some spring sunshine that we waited (so impatiently) all winter for!

Dear Ellen....

2010-03-07T11:16:00.000-06:00

Dear Ellen,

1500 chracters limits me and my story for you! I am a Surgical Technology Instructor in Iowa. I get the luxury of helping adult learners better themselves and create a means of supporting their families in the future. We are currently fundraising to send these students (12 of them) to the AST National Conference in Dallas. They want you to go with them! We are in a healthcare crisis and an economic downturn that has increased the number of unemployed Americans drastically. These are those faces! Many of them are single parents who are working several jobs to pay their tuition. These students are joining a profession that makes a difference. Conference is May 25 so please hurry! Come be a surgical technologist for a day! We have many great ideas for fun games for the show and in turn, you'll be highlighting a profession that could provide opportunity to so many. You do so much good and we feel we fit right in with that. In case you also don't know, surgery people are very unique! It takes a special person to work there. You help so many people that we feel this could be an amazing extention of that! Please visit our links:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=371194495515#!/group.php?gid=371194495515&ref=mf

http://scalpel-please.blogspot.com/

Thank you so much! We will be waiting (very impatiently) to hear from you! ;-)

We love you Ellen!

Calling all Iowa Lakes Surg Tech Fans!!!!

2010-03-05T21:57:00.000-06:00

In the spirit of keeping in touch, a new Iowa Lakes Surgical Technology Program Group Page has been created in Facebook. It will hopefully serve as a great way for former students, graduates and friends of the program to keep in touch! So if you are a fan of the program, or just someone who wants to take a trip back in time through the last ten years, log into Facebook and join our group! We'd love to hear what you are doing now and to reconnect with you, so drop us a note on the page. You can find our page at:

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=371194495515&ref=mf

Cletus the Cactus....Dallas or Bust!

2010-02-23T17:46:00.000-06:00

Howdy Y'all! The surgical tech students have their spring fundraising efforts in full swing. They are trying to earn money to attend the Association of Surgical Technologists 41st Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas in May. The Surgical Tech Club has been meeting regularly to finalize their fundraising strategies in order for students to attend the conference. So far our fundraising has mostly consisted of working at the Pizza Ranch in Spencer on Tuesday nights (kid's night) bussing tables and interacting with the locals. Pizza Ranch then generously donates a large portion of the profits from that evening to our Club. So if you are in town on a Tuesday night and feel like pizza, come on in! The Club is also currently doing a Butterbraid fundraiser, so we would like to encourage you to order your Easter Butterbraids or just 'stock your freezer' to help support our cause! Butterbraids can be ordered from any of the ST Students or by calling Dana at 580-8624, and as we mentioned, they will be delivered before Easter.

Most recently, the students have come up with a new idea and let me just say it is.....hmmm, most creative! We will be sharing more about that as the latest developments occur. But it will hopefully be BIG! Several of the students took some time to update our bulletin boards around the college this last week with our theme "Dallas or Bust!" I got a big chuckle out of their new mascot "Cletus the Cactus" who is a cactus with a fundraising bar graph displaying our progress. I've attached some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

National Conference is an amazing opportunity for students to network with other Surgical Technology Professionals....more to come about that in the next few weeks but in the meantime, check-out "Cletus" and please support our students at the Pizza Ranch or buying a few Butterbraids. Thanks!

I SURVIVED and NO ONE DIED! (Student Post-First Day of Clinical!)

2010-02-02T11:22:00.000-06:00

First Clinical Experience:

On my first day of clinical I was pretty scared. Not sure how it was going to be. I went in with the thought that I would not be doing much for a couple of weeks and on the first day I was already gowning and gloving and passing instruments! I was not nervous and I was so excited. I enjoyed my first day of clinical but perhaps it was ‘beginner’s luck’ because then on the second day I was dropping things and touching things that were not sterile. But when I saw that others that have been there for awhile still made mistakes too, I knew I couldn’t beat myself up about it. I have gotten to see D&C’s, Tonsillectomies, and Breast Biopsies. I feel that I am learning so much at clinical and I know that I am going to learn so much more. The staff people at my clinical site have been so helpful, and the doctors have been helpful also; teaching me the procedures and the scrub tech’s have been teaching me names of the instruments. I learned quickly that I didn’t have to go in to clinical knowing everything and I was relieved by that. I will learn as I go. By the end of my first clinical experience, I hope to expand my knowledge and I only plan to get better as I go.

Michelle Riskedahl

Time flies when you're having fun!!

2009-12-14T14:34:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that the fall semester is quickly coming to a close, as today is the first day of finals for the surgical tech students. Needless to say, each year the time between Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break at the college goes so quickly. Instructors are trying feverishly to get that last bit of content squeezed in before the end of term, and the students are trying to wrap things up as well.

The past few weeks (which is why I haven't had time to blog!) we have been doing what we call "clinical readiness tests" or "test-outs" in the lab, which is a fairly monumental experience for the students. Clinical readiness involves the student taking each individual skill that they've learned over the semester and applying it to an actual (simulated) surgical procedure. This year we ordered appendectomy surgical simulators. The students are assigned in groups of two; one to perform the circulating role and the other to perform the scrub role. They then are required to pull supplies for the case, open for the case, setup for the case and pass instrumentation according to each appropriate tissue layer for an appendectomy. These procedures really help the students gain confidence in being able to make the transition between performing their skills in a lab setting and going into an actual O.R. with a patient and surgeon. This is my favorite thing to do in the lab all year long. While time consuming (it takes nearly an hour from start to finish for each group) it is so much fun because I get to be the surgeon! I have done so many of these in the past 8 years that I am confident that I really could remove an appendix, I think! However, these procedures usually cause anxiety and nervousness for the students because they have to pass with a 90% or better and they only get 2 chances to pass in order to proceed to clinical next January.

This year the students have done well and have worked really hard to get the procedure down. In fact, a few of them were so relieved and excited after passing, that they asked me and the other instructors to autograph their appendix simulators so that it could be the table centerpiece at Christmas because they were so proud! Now that is a natural, anyone who wants an appendix sitting on their dining room table during Christmas dinner was destined for a career in surgery!

Thank you to my students for all the extra hours and effort you've been putting in the last few weeks of this term. It has paid off and test-outs have gone very well. Each of you has earned a well-deserved three week holiday break and some free time with your families! I will see you before you know it for the start of clinical…real patients, real procedures. You've earned it and are ready. Congrats~! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Dana =)

Lions, Tigers and....Pig's Feet?!

2009-12-01T10:09:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, November 21st, the Surgical Tech Students were able to participate in a Wound Closure Workshop along side some practicing-techs who came in for some continuing education sessions. This is a workshop that we offer here in Northwest Iowa annually. It is taught by two of my best friends that come to visit from Nashville, TN and who also own Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting. It is a great opportunity for the students to interact with techs and assistants that have years of experience in the operating room and to learn some suturing techniques. Mike and Dennis (owners of Meridian) never cease to amaze us with their Surgical Assisting talent and of course their stories and humor that always make any class fun! The course consists of knot tying in the morning and then breaking down each suturing technique in the afternoon.

You may be wondering how the pig's feet come into the picture however? We suture on pig's feet because the skin in most like that of human skin. You can imagine the surprise on the other end of the phone when I call HyVee each year to order 2 cases of pig's feet. Needless to say, I quickly explain what they will be used for and not that I plan to eat them! The students had a great day and learned a lot. Thanks a lot to the techs in the area that came and supported our workshop and gave my best friends an excuse to come visit me!

If you are interested in a career in Surgical Technology (after now reading about all the cool things we get to do, ha ha) check out the program here at Iowa Lakes at http://www.iowalakes.edu/ If you are interested in a career in Surgical Assisting, check out Meridian at http://www.meridian-institute.com/ they have a top notch program that includes a one-week live pig lab held at Vanderbuilt in Nashville. Thanks Mike and Dennis for making the 3 leg flight to Iowa! =)

Learning through hands-on experiences....

2009-11-10T10:27:00.002-06:00

What kind of learner are you? It is important to recognize that each person prefers different learning styles and techniques. Learning styles group common ways that people learn. Everyone has a mix of learning styles, but each of us are usually predominant in one or two ways. Some of the different learning styles include: visual-seeing things; kinesthetic-hands on or doing things; aural-sounds; linguistic-verbal and written words, etc. Generally speaking, people who are drawn to vocational programs are usually "hands-on" or kinesthetic learners with visual learning style preferences. So as an instructor it is my goal to match as much information as possible to the dominant learning styles of my students. Can this be tricky at times, yes! But does this tend to make learning more fun for them, yes!

In Patient Care Concepts class, we were learning about Special Populations of Surgical Patients, so I decided to have the students do a little role-playing the other day...the students GOT (and I use this term loosely) to become a "geriatric patient" for a day. It was my goal to reinforce to the students just how difficult it may be for the geriatric patient to move, see, hear and follow instructions that were being given to them by a health-care worker. We used masking tape to tape their knees, fingers and elbows to simulate the joint stiffness that many of our patients suffer from. I taped jawbreakers to the first joint of their big toe to simulate bunions and put jelly beans and peanuts in their shoes to simulate corns and heel spurs....walking instantly became an unwelcomed chore to the students. We also placed cotton balls in their ears and wrapped clear plastic wrap around a pair of goggles to obscure their vision and to represent glaucoma and cataracts. And as if that wasn't enough, I sent them out into the world that way! Well at least into the college campus that way, as I didn't think it was a good idea for them to be driving! The goal of the assignment was for the students to "experience" what a geriatric patient goes through and then the students were to write a summary about this experience. Many of the students wrote about the difficulties they had while trying to prepare their sandwiches in the cafeteria and how hard it was for them to hear the conversations going on at their tables during lunch. They also spoke about how hard it was to move around and how painful walking became, one student even wrote "Now I know why my gramma always wore those big, ugly shoes!" Another student wrote that she felt "generally out of it." and another wrote that he "actually became so tired of asking people to repeat themselves that he just started agreeing with them!" Do any of these things happen to our geriatric population? Yes! Mission Accomplished!

Needless to say, I think they got the point and had a little fun in the process. Here are some photos to document their experiences. Enjoy!

What do Surgical Techs and Soccer have in common? FUN!!!

2009-10-24T20:33:00.002-05:00

Each year, National Surgical Technologist Week is an opportunity to promote the profession and educate the community about the vital role that surgical technologists play in the O.R. This year, National Surgical Technologist Week was celebrated September 20-26, 2009. To recognize this week our group always tries to come up with new and creative ideas to celebrate the week, and to have a little fun as well. This year we decided to partner with the Iowa Lakes Soccer Team to celebrate the week at a home soccer match! The students decided that they would do face painting for the kids and provide half-time entertainment along with various other activities throughout the match. The half-time entertainment was a big hit, the students hosted a "Frozen T-Shirt" contest (yes frozen, and it was about 50 degrees that day!!) and gave away some amazing prizes! The object of the frozen t-shirt contest was to take 2 people per team and give them a folded, twisted, frozen t-shirt that they have to work together to untangle to the point of being able to slip it on one of the team members. We had 10 teams who fought to the death to be the first to get that cold, frozen shirt on! We were grateful to the soccer program for donating a sweatshirt, long sleeve t-shirt and a short sleeve t-shirt for the respectable 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners! Along with the half-time entertainment, many donated items were raffled: a team-autographed soccer ball, a team-autographed poster, an Iowa Lakes logo blanket and meal tickets to "The Dock." Everyone really seemed to have a great time while promoting the profession of Surgical Technology, so thanks again to everyone who donated items and purchased raffle tickets. The Surgical Tech Club fundraises all year long to provide students with the opportunity to attend AST National Conference where they are exposed to professional education courses and networking opportunities.

Personally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow surgical technologists for all they do, both in the trenches and out! This has been a career that has offered me so much and continues to be my passion in life.

"Firsts" (and who are those masked men and women?)

2009-10-19T19:40:00.005-05:00

Wow! Time is flying by! It is hard to believe that we are now nearing the midterm portion of the semester! The students have been working hard and have really proven to be a great group this year. The students have been able to get many "firsts" under their belts lately...first skills test out, first exam, first presentation, first paper written, and possibly most exciting (drum roll, please) their first observation experience in an actual operating room during a live surgical procedure! Each student chose a hospital to go and observe in last Thursday and Friday. Amazingly they all came back today smiling bigger and more excited than ever! Most of them could hardly contain their excitment as they were sharing their experiences with me and their classmates. Of course, observation experiences are equally exciting for me! It is so much fun to hear them share stories about everything they saw and were able to apply from their classes so far. As I mentioned, for many of them, this was their first-ever trip to an operating room. It confirmed for them that they are in the right program and that they are headed in the right direction in their career preparation paths. They were assigned to observe for two, eight-hour days and I found it hilarious that most of them had to practically be told that it was time to go home, hours after their time was up! They said they simply just didn't want to leave. This experience not only allows the students to apply what they've learned so far, but it also provides them with a taste of what is yet to come next semester when they go to the hospital for practicum each week. It does a nice job of motivating them also, letting them know that before long, they will get to be in the operating room each week being able to work in an environment that seems so foreign to most. They are continuing to work hard in the lab as well, making sure that they are prepared when that first day of practicum arrives! They have already mastered many of their sterile techniques like: the surgical scrub, gowning and gloving themselves and a team member and are working hard at memorizing all the names of the surgical instruments! I hope that their excitment continues to motivate them throughout the rest of this semester! I know that their excitment has motivated me as well, as if I too, was seeing the operating room for the first time myself! I also have to just say that seeing the students accomplishing all of their "firsts" has to be one of my favorite parts of teaching! They will always remember last Thursday and Friday, their first of many, many days in the operating room.

Student Post

2009-09-09T14:40:00.000-05:00

My first reaction on Orientation Day was, wow there are a lot of people here today. The whole room was abuzz with young and middle age students excited about their new start. I’ve had four long months to think about what the Surgical Tech program would be like, and now that I’m here it is so much more than what I imagined.
This week, August 31 – September 3, we have already covered so much. For instance, Dana demonstrated an exercise that she does for high school career day with a substance that targets bacteria on your hands. It was fascinating and really gross at the same time.
Today, September 3, we observed Mary and Dana opening a case. It was a lot of information and really quite scary but they did such a wonderful job of demonstrating it to us. They made a comment that we should start our clinical assignments already. Ha. We learned how instruments are packaged for the Autoclave in Central Supply. We learned how to flip instruments and other OR items onto the sterile back table. We also had a run-through of a sterile scrub. We also practiced open and closed gloving, and donning sterile gowns.
The classes are packed full of information but they also make it fun at the appropriate times. There really are so many things involved in the sterile field in the OR that you wouldn’t even think of.
Dana is a fabulous instructor, always giving us real time examples of what the text is trying to teach us. She is confident and seems to be genuinely excited about the start of the program as well. The class has approximately 18-20 people, give or take, and a wonderful mix of young and middle aged students. Mary Westphalen, the Lab instructor is fabulous as well. Her years of experience make the students feel so confident. She explains things in a way that we can easily understand, and she is excited about the program as well.
This promises to be a worthwhile experience for me. I am excited about a new career, especially at my age (over 40+), and I am anxious to learn, especially hands-on. I think we all are going to leave this program much better people with a professional attitude and a sincere desire to help others.

102 days, 4 hours, 3 minutes and 37 seconds!

2009-04-20T14:59:00.005-05:00

102 days, 4 hours, 3 minutes, and 37 seconds until Summer Graduation!! Sorry that it has been awhile since my last blog entry, but the Spencer Campus of Iowa Lakes Community College has been "hoppin" (oh, and speaking of hoppin, a belated Happy Easter to you all too!)

I don't think the students could be more ready to be done with this (their last) semester of classes. The nicer weather makes us realize that spring is here and that summer is just around the corner. For the Surg Tech Students, summer means practicum and a whole lot of it! They go out to an area hospital and are required to complete 300 hours of on-the-job-training before they graduate on July 31st. This is usually a great experience for them because they are able to incorporate what they've learned during the past year and work as a tech. Our rotations are called "practicums" because the students are assigned to a "preceptor" that is an employee in that hospital. Practicum gives them a great opportunity to learn from people working in the field, great skills to help them succeed. The students are also busy finalizing their resumes, cover letters and professional portfolios in their Career Development class so that they are ready to start applying for jobs....another exciting milestone for them. I think it is beginning to set in for them that soon they will be graduated and out in the workforce.

In May, I will be attending the Association of Surgical Technologists 40th Annual Conference. 3 of my students have signed up to work as student volunteers for the conference while we are in Vegas. We'll be staying at Ceasar's Palace and are really looking forward to it. There will be approximately 2500 Certfied Surgical Technologists and Surgical Assistants in attendance. There are so many networking opportunities available everyone and I have met so many wonderful people at conferences over the past 8 years. This year they have added a special student track specifically designed for the students who are attending. They will create their own student association and elect officers. They usually do a "scrub" bowl (like quiz bowl with surg tech content) and a T-shirt design contest and many fun activities. So again, these students will be exposed to some of the most prominent surgeons and health care professionals in the country. The opening ceremony at conference always brings a tear to my eye! It is so motivational. I love to see the students faces when the opening music starts and all of the Board members are ushered in. I'll be busy while I am there with book writing meetings, instructors workshops, education committee meetings and general conference activties, but it is always my goal to make it out to the gorgeous "Venus" Pool at some point during the week. I'll be sure to post some of our pictures upon our return to the blog.

So we have about 3 weeks of classroom days left before finals. It will go quickly, as will summer and fall brings in a new group of "newbies" for the Surg Tech Program. I'm starting to put my class roster together now. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the new students that I've been interviewing, I think I'll have a great class next year as well!

Till next time,
Dana

ST Alumni/Adjunct Instructor Post

2009-03-10T15:22:00.003-05:00

(Hello, Dana!I was visiting the Iowa Lakes website and found your blog. I especially liked what you named it, "Scalpel, Please!" How clever is that?! I thought that it might be fun for me to respond to your latest blog, so I hope that you can submit this for me. Mary)

My name is Mary Westphalen and I graduated in 2001 in the first surgical technology class. When I started the program, it was held three nights a week and every Saturday. Carol Hartig was the coordinator of the program with the help of other instructors whom I am very grateful to. I had been a cosmetologist for 23 years and did enjoy that career very much. I went through some struggles, and became a single-mother who wanted to better her life with a more fulfilling career so that I could help my two children pursue their dreams of becoming college graduates. I knew I would not have a means of doing it unless I made some changes in my life.

I visited Iowa Lakes one day and was looking for a course that I could finish in one year and get a good job with benefits. My kids were very busy in school, sports, etc. I worked a full-time job and went to school three evenings a week and every Saturday. Looking back, I really don't know how I did everything, but it has been so worth it. I graduated that July making the Dean's List, which made my kids so proud. Little did I know at the time that I was setting a good example for their lives.

I now work full-time at Orange City Area Health System as a CST. I cannot see myself doing anything else, as I have developed such a passion for my profession. I work with awesome surgeons everyday and am rewarded by helping patients in surgery.

In 2004, I received a call from Dana, asking me to come help in the Surgical Procedures Lab as she had a large class and needed an assistant. I thought, why not? I have worked with students each year since then. I really enjoy working with the students and watching them perfect their skills, and then go to clinical and graduate as surgical technologists. I get to work in the OR for 4 days and then come and teach the surgical tech class the skills that they will need to scrub and assist in surgery. It is so rewarding to have them realize their own struggles, over come them, and then graduate in July, just as I did. As I look at some of our students and their struggles as single moms, no money, trying to balance life, work and school, I see myself in that same chair 8 years ago. I hear many excuses and had some of my own when I was in school too. Little did I know that soon I'd be making a difference in their lives as a lab instructor and clinical coordinator. I don't accept many excuses but rather try to help them turn their excuses into reasons and motivation to finish the program. We tell them often that the reward is within reach. When they cross the stage at graduation, I have tears of joy for them and their families. Their struggles and hard work have finally paid off.

I am so thankful for what Iowa Lakes did for me 8 years ago and for now having the opportunity to work with such wonderful people there! I always look forward to my day away from Orange City and enjoy switching gears and helping students as well as sharing awesome stories about the latest surgical techniques.

I am also on the Board of Directors for the Iowa State Assembly of Surgical Technologists. What fun it is to meet other CST's from all over the state who have the same career as I do! I am proud to be a Certified Surgical Technologist as it has given me so much in my life that I never through would be possible! I'll leave you with this quote:

"Life is not the way its supposed to be...it's the way it is...the way we cope with it, is what makes the difference."

Mary (Rost) Westphalen, CST
Surgical Technology Graduate
Class of 2001

Surprise Visit-

2009-03-03T15:32:00.002-06:00

Today I was lucky enough to have a former student drop in. This is such a special treat for me- to see them and hear about how their career is going is always so much fun for me. It is also fun for the current students...it is living, breathing, proof, that there IS light at the end of the tunnel and people really do live through surgical technology educational programs!

I decided while she was here that it might be fun for readers to hear from a former student, an adjunct instructor, and perhaps, a current student who is in the program. So I hope you'll look forward to some "contributor bloggers" which will be coming soon to "scalpel-please." To be honest, I am mostly trying to "shirk my duty" until midterm is over! So much for a slow return to daily activities...the campus is buzzing and it seems that there are more students than ever. I'd guess the biggest change is all of the new soccer faces; it has been so fun to see all the new recruits. I think Coach Kevin Farley is becoming a "household name" in Spencer and that is a great thing for Iowa Lakes. We've also undergone some major administrative changes this spring. Our Spencer Campus Dean, Kitty Conover retired in December and we also have our first-ever female President at Iowa Lakes, Val Newhouse. Val has served in many capacities at the college previously, so we are excited about her new opportunity and for the future. There have been many other changes around here as well.... I will share those in my next blog, and in doing so, try to keep you coming back for more!

In the meantime, here are a couple of "change" quotes for you:

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." John F. Kennedy

"Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely." Karen Kaiser Clark

"Change is inevitable. Change for the better is a full-time job." Adlai E. Stevenson

Cheers!
Dana

Friday the 13th vs. Saint Valentine

2009-02-13T09:41:00.008-06:00

Well it is officially "official" I have a blog. I've been told to remember that a key component of having a blog is to keep it updated. Easy enough, right? Well, I'll try. I'll also remind you that I've agreed to keep it updated but that it may or may not always be interesting reading.

A mini-return to work was what I encountered last week. I was able to work on Tuesday and Thursday last week as my surgeon recommended pacing myself in my return to daily activities. I will admit to being nervous about what I would return to after not being in the office since December 18th! However, I was very excited to see my students and coworkers at the Spencer Campus. They were all excited to see me and much to my surprise there wasn't even a stack of papers that piled to the ceiling of my office. I have been so thankful to have left the program and students in such capable hands. Many thanks to Sue Bruggman and Mary Westphalen for doing such a great job in my absence. Even more thanks to my students for being flexible and adaptable-qualities that are essential for every surgical tech. I am feeling stronger and hope to be cleared to return full-time on Feb. 18th.

I was able to visit with the students and find out that their clinicals are going great! They are scrubbing cases and getting great experience! Spring semester is always a huge transition for them. They are in class all day on Mon, Tues, and Wed and then they go off to various hospitals on Thurs and Fri each week for practicum. Many of them travel great distances to go to hospitals that provide surgical specialties that not all of our local hospitals can offer them. The sacrifices they are making to be away from their families can take a toll. I tried my best to give them a pep-talk to help them realize how short-term this is in the big picture. The payoff will be there before they know it! Not to mention the priceless experiences they are gaining by the variety of cases that they are being exposed to!

Two interesting days of note on the calendar this week....Friday the 13th and February 14th-Valentines Day....both of which have amazing histories! Did you know that there is an actual phobia linked to Friday the 13th? It is called "paraskevidekatriaphobia " and it is an actual scientifically studied phobia! According to National Geographic, less people drive their cars on Friday the 13th and less people are willing to go into the hospital or restaurants. But interestingly enough (they claim) that there are more hospital admissions due to vehicular accidents than any other day during the year! Hmmm.... I had my surgery on January 13th which I will admit that it kind of made my stomach twinge at first when I heard the date. Today is Friday the 13th I have an appointment to get my hair colored and cut. Perhaps I am really playing with fire here, who knows. So, if I come to school with green hair on Tuesday, you'll know what happened!

Valentines Day-is viewed as a "commercial" holiday by many and it is projected to generate nearly 14.7 billion dollars in revenue. So recession or no recession, what would Valentines Day be without getting that special someone a nice card and box of chocolates? But it also has an interesting history! Again according to National Geographic, "The lovers' holiday traces its roots to raucous annual Roman festivals where men stripped naked, grabbed goat- or dog-skin whips, and spanked young maidens in hopes of increasing their fertility, said classics professor Noel Lenski of the University of Colorado at Boulder." What?! I had heard of someone named St. Valentine but never this version! I think I will stick to the candies and a nice dinner for my Valentines Day celebration.

So beware as you are out and about today on Friday the 13th and I hope that you'll share Valentines Day with someone special tomorrow-commercial or not, it is always nice to remind those special people in your life that you care. Love you Tom, Tayler and Chloe!

Okay, here goes

2009-02-03T14:55:00.000-06:00

Okay, so we have officially entered an age of technological advances that are still unfamiliar to many of us who grew up without the Internet! But here goes, I am about to join the crowd of many that are adding "blogs" to their daily or weekly to-do lists. I can't promise that this will ever be interesting reading; but I will attempt to keep it (somewhat) up to date.

Perhaps only people who are tied to their recliners (like myself, recovering from surgery) have time to read blogs, I am not sure. However, I have found enjoyment in the ability to stay current with the "buzz" at Iowa Lakes Community College through co-workers blogs.... and must admit that my arm was a bit twisted to start of my own.

It will be my goal to update readers on what the surgical technology students are learning and about what they go through in their training-good, bad or ugly! Our program is an intense one and I am sure we will be able to provide examples of their experiences- without of course, violating any HIPPA regulations. I think that many people will be amazed at how quickly they move through the program and are able to get into an actual operating room for practical experience during their clinical rotations.

I also have to say how much I have missed being at work and seeing the students on a daily basis. I am confident that I had to have surgery at the worst possible time of the year-the start of a new semester. I am missing all of the familiar faces at the Spencer Campus and hate the thought of missing out on the first days of a new semester with our new students. I am so excited for the new soccer students especially, who are so far from home and are making strides toward their athletic and educational goals at Iowa Lakes. Not to mention not being able to be there for my own students during their first weeks in their clinical sites! Dang! But I hear it is all going well and I am thankful for that and the people that are helping with the program in my absence.

So again, in closing, I miss Iowa Lakes and can't wait for Feb 12th to get here so that I can come back to experience all the positive change that is on the horizon. I will, I'm sure, have much more interesting things to talk about then.

In the meantime, I am trying to hurry my recovery along as quickly as possible so that I may return to work and catch up on all of the changes that come with a new semester. I have a feeling that the Spencer Campus has just begun to see the first of many changes that are on the way. I am excited for our future and am confident that great change is in store.