Fall 2009
Allied Health Department Overview
The Allied Health Department continues to have a banner year in 2009. With a marked increase in enrollment, several new classes, and an improved schedule scheme, the 2008-2009 academic year proved to be extremely successful for the department and our students. The 2009-2010 academic year, which began in August, is already shaping up to be another fantastic year with record numbers of students enrolled in our online courses.
August marked the official start of a new program partnership, with students beginning courses in the Barton/Cowley MLT Cooperative Program. Cheryl Lippert, Barton MLT Program Director, was excited to see the new program start. “We’re off to an excellent start” Lippert said. “This partnership will be very beneficial for students in the Wichita area, and will help both Barton and Cowley graduate more allied health professionals.”
Program improvements continue to be made in all areas of the Allied Health department. The medical coding program is currently going through the curriculum alignment process with the Kansas Board of Regents, and our coding faculty will be involved in the faculty-feedback portion of that process in the near future. We are dedicated to providing the most relevant, up-to-date, and highest quality education available, and these updates allow us to provide our students with an excellent educational experience. Many of these updates are driven by advisory committee recommendations and from information received from our communities of interest. Please contact us if you would like to see a new course or a change made to an existing course.
EMS Education
12 Month Winfield MICT Program Starts in January, 2010
12 Month Winfield MICT Program Starts in January, 2011
18 Month Andover MICT Program Starts in March, 2011
NOW IS THE TIME TO APPLY!
There are thirty MICT students currently enrolled in the two Cowley MICT program cohorts. These students represent the 15th and 16th MICT cohorts taught at Cowley. We take great pride in our nationally accredited MICT program, and we are continually working to improve the program to make it more student-friendly and to improve outcomes and success rates. Our MICT graduates treat over 85,000 patients every year in both the prehospital and in-hospital settings.
The Cowley EMS Advisory Committee meets on November 6th at 1:00 p.m. This regular meeting will serve as an update session for the committee members, and several changes to the MICT curriculum will be discussed.
With two MICT cohorts in session at all times, the demand for MICT staff instructors continues to grow. Recently, seven new instructors were added to help meet student needs. The new instructors are: Steve Albright, Sedgwick County EMS; T.C. Bodwell, Sedgwick County EMS; Jon Clawson, Arkansas City Fire/EMS; Bruce Cooper, Sedgwick County and Winfield Area EMS; Danielle McNaught, SCKRMC and Elk County EMS; Kelli Peters, Sedgwick County EMS; and Scott Steuven, Butler County EMS. Welcome aboard! These instructors will be the first new group of instructors to complete the new online instructor orientation program.
There are currently two EMT-Basic programs in session, one each at our Winfield and Mulvane campuses. Chet Ranzau and Dee Little are the lead instructors for these courses, and they continue to produce excellent EMT-B graduates. We are currently recruiting and training more EMS instructors to expand our EMT-B course offerings.
New equipment purchases through the Perkin’s vocational program grant and capital outlay were recently approved, and include the following (non-inclusive): LifePak 15 ECG/Defibrillator, 8 hand-held ECG rhythm generators, Ranger Glide-Scope, Stethoscope Sounders, and 10 new KED and Hare Traction splints. Approval was also obtained to send EMS instructors to several conferences and training classes, including EMS Today in Baltimore, EMS Expo in Atlanta, and the CCEMTP program.
12-month (Day) MICT Program
There are currently 11 students in the Cowley 12-month MICT class. These students are in the Field Internship phase of the program and as such are out on ambulances with selected preceptors. Four students are riding with crews at Butler County EMS while the other 7 are scattered through various shifts at Sedgwick County EMS. We are hoping to host the National Registry test at the Winfield campus for these students in mid-December.
18-Month (Evening) MICT Program
The second Butler/Cowley cooperative MICT program located in Andover started in August with 19 students. The students are currently completing the classroom portion of their education, and will start in the practicing in the skills laboratory soon. This partnership with Butler College allows us to offer our nationally accredited paramedic program in a location that is extremely convenient for students living in the Wichita metro area.
Sixteen graduate from MICT program
Graduation for 16 students in Cowley College’s Mobile Intensive Care Technician (paramedic) program was held August 28 in the Earle N. Wright Community Room at the main campus in Arkansas City. The program that finished on July 31 completed the AAS degree requirements for the graduates.
The following are the graduating members of the class: Sarah Callier, Haysville; Carla Ficken, Rose Hill; Stacy Hatcher, Wichita; Ron Kane, Sedgwick; Tish Kane, Maize; Larry Masters, Derby; Dillon McArthur, Wichita; Nessa Nikhomvanh, Valley Center; Sarah Post, Wichita; Dan Pugh, Wichita; Adrienne Simon, Clearwater; J.D. Smith, Winfield; Amy Stockham, Wichita; Steven Storm, El Dorado; Samantha Troyer, Harper; and Kurt Vin Zant, Wichita.
The evening began when Chris Cannon, Allied Health Department Chair, issued the welcome and discussed the education the graduates received while in Cowley’s program. Cannon thanked the graduates for their extensive work during the program, and thanked the graduates’ families for supporting them during a difficult year.
Slade Griffiths, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Cowley College, delivered the keynote address. Griffiths was previously the Allied Health Department Chair at Cowley, where he created both the MICT program and the allied health department.
“Your education is a key,” Griffiths said as he addressed the graduates. “That key can open many doors for you, but you have to walk through them with your own abilities and merits.”
Deryk Ruddle, MICT Instructor, and Griffiths conferred the certificates and presented the honor awards for the class. J.D. Smith was the program honor graduate, Dillon McArthur was the Lyle Eckhart award winner and Larry Masters was the Patrick J. McAtee award recipient. Other awards included a certificate of appreciation for Paul Hunter, who is a staff instructor with the MICT program. Griffiths then presented the class of 2009 to the gathering of about 150 people who came to honor the graduates.
During the course of their schooling, these graduates assessed over 5,000 patients and administered over 2,000 medications during the year. With this 14th graduating class, Cowley MICT graduates now treat approximately 85,000 patients each year.
Cowley Instructor Honored
Scott Stueven, MICT staff instructor, was recently honored for his dedication to excellence by receiving the KEMSA Paramedic of the Year award. Scott was honored at the August KEMSA banquet. Also receiving recognition from KEMSA was Kevin Leis (2006 Cowley graduate) as Instructor of the Year, Grant Helferich (Butler EMS) as EMS Director of the Year, and Butler County EMS as EMS Service of the year. Many Cowley MICT graduates work at Butler EMS, and Butler provides field training for many Cowley students each year. Congratulations to all of you for your well deserved awards!
CCEMTPSM Program
Cowley College, in association with The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is proud to bring the nationally recognized Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Program to Kansas on June 7-18, 2010. The CCEMTPsm program is an intense, 84+ hour course featuring the following:
- Physician led lectures and clinicals
- State of the art training equipment
- Clinical rotations at a Level I trauma center
- Cadaver lab
Cowley has partnered with Midwest Lifeteam, Wesley Medical Center, and Wichita State University to bring this one of a kind educational experience to you. Course cost is $1,000 plus books, and the Cowley dorms and cafeteria will be available for use at a very reasonable rate during the program. Paul Misasi, Cowley College CCEMTPsm Coordinator, has been instrumental in setting up this program. If you are interested in CCEMTPsm, please contact Chris Cannon at .
Meet the Staff
Cowley currently employs around 20 part-time staff instructors for the MICT program. These instructors have full-time jobs at local EMS services, fire departments, and air ambulance services. Our staff instructors have over 200 years of combined EMS experience, and they share this expertise with our students in the classroom, lab, clinical and field settings. Our staff instructors are one of the greatest strengths of our MICT program, and we would not be successful without them.
Aaron Sutton- BS, Friends University
- AAS, AS, AA, AGS Cowley College
- MICT
- NREMT-Paramedic
- Training Officer I
- AMLS-Instructor
- PHTLS-Instructor
- BCLS-Instructor
- PALS-Instructor
- PEPP-Instructor
- ACLS-Provider
- Cowley College Lyle E. Eckhart Award, 2005
Leadership Program
We offer online leadership courses starting every 8 weeks. Students may complete the entire leadership program online. Emphasis areas in EMS and Business leadership are available, and several articulation agreements with universities allow you to continue your education to the baccalaureate level or beyond.
If you would like to enroll in a successful, proven program contact Chris Cannon, .
Medical Office Division News
The Medical Office Division of Allied Health encompasses the Medical Coding, Medical Transcription, and Medical Front Office Professional programs. Our goal is to produce highly qualified, experienced students from this program that will benefit the facilities where they will eventually provide patient care. To this end, we are currently reviewing and updating the curriculum for several of our courses and look forward to offering even better classes in the future.
The Medical Office advisory committee will meet at the Winfield Allied Health campus at 11:00 a.m. on November 6th. Loretta Heft, lead medical office instructor, has been busy compiling statistics, revamping course procedures, and interpreting evaluations in preparation for this meeting.
CNA and Related Education
Cowley College welcomes three new instructors for Certified Nurse Aide and Certified Medication Aide classes. Donna Frazier, Lindsey King, and Lynette Struthers-Koch
CMA update classes in Mulvane continue to go well. Recently a local CMA needed to update her certification and found a course online that she thought would be easier and cost effective. She reported it was one of the most stressful things she’s ever done, it took her over 20 hours instead of 10, and cost over $160.00. The class is offered either in Mulvane or Winfieldon the second Saturday of each month, takes 10 hours per KDHE guidelines, and is fun and interactive while discussing new medications and other helpful things to keep CMAs updated.
If your organization would like to sponsor Allied Health Education to include CNA, CMA, HHA, or RA students please contact us for further information.
Athletic Trainer Program
The athletic training program continues to do well at the Cowley main campus. All students, along with both instructors/trainers, have been very busy with classes and with taking care of our student athletes this year.
Medical Careers Day
Individuals wanting to learn more about medical programs and degrees offered by Cowley College can attend the school’s Medical Careers Day Wednesday, Oct. 21 at the Allied Health Center in Winfield from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. There is no cost to attend the event. Representatives from South Central Regional Medical Center, William Newton Memorial Hospital, Ark City Fire Department, Winfield Fire Department, Ark City Emergency Medical Services, Butler County Emergency Medical Services, Winfield Emergency Medical Services, and Pratt Community College School of Nursing will give presentations about their facility or service, demonstrate equipment, and answer questions from the students.
Nursing Home Administrator (AIT) Program
The health care industry is currently experiencing a nationwide shortage of qualified health care workers, including administrators of long term care facilities. Cowley College offers the Administrator in Training Program (AIT), designed to accommodate the flexibility students need today. Students can start the program whenever they desire and have two years to complete the required 680 clock hour practicum required by Cowley at a KDHE approved long term health care facility in Kansas. Students are also required to complete two online leadership classes (three credit hours each for a total of six hours) of their choice offered by Cowley College. Following the tenets of adult education, students pick the most appropriate classes for their individual needs.
Pratt Community College RN Program at Winfield Allied Health Center
Pratt Community College recently started both first and second year nursing classes at the Winfield Allied Health Center. Interested future students are encouraged to contact Janet Bogle, PCC Winfield Coordinator/Instructor at 620-229-5993.
The first cohort of students began the Pratt MICT to RN bridge program in August, 2009. This program has both online and clinical learning components. More information, including prerequisites and curriculum information is available by contacting the Pratt nursing office at .
Allied Health Faculty and Staff
Name/Position:Chris Cannon, Department Chair
Janet Bogle, Nursing Coordinator
Cindy Branscum, Lead MICT Instructor
Jeff Fluty, Athletic Trainer
Joyce Holloway, Coordinator of Support Services
Bruce Irwin, AIT Coordinator
Loretta Heft, Lead Medical Office Instructor
Deryk Ruddle, MICT Instructor
Jeff Simundic, Assistant Athletic Trainer / Phone:
620.229.5985
620.229.5982
620.229.5986
620.441.5270
620.229.5981
800.296.3633
620.582.2825
620-229-5984
620-441-5332 / Email: