TSTC conference gives students opportunity to network with health care providers

(SWEETWATER, Texas) - Texas State Technical College's Allied Health programs are sponsoring a conference that will give TSTC students a chance to network with regional health care providers.

The inaugural Empowering Rural West Texas Allied Health Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the D.A. Pevehouse Technology Center on the Sweetwater campus Friday, Sept. 27. Students in TSTC's Emergency Medical Services, LVN to RN Transition Nursing and Vocational Nursing programs will be in attendance.

"This conference started as we explored ways for the TSTC LVN to RN program to support our community and contribute to our local medical field," Wendy Proctor, one of the program's instructors, said. "Our goal was to express our gratitude to all the health care workers in our area for supporting our students and for their dedication to the health of our community."

Proctor said as discussions on what to provide to students and industry partners got underway, the event began to grow.

"As we discussed this idea with the Big Country Area Health Education Center (AHEC), they also saw the importance of celebrating and supporting our local health care systems," she said. "From there, the initiative expanded to include not just nursing, but all health care providers in our region. We were able to involve the EMS program in this project, allowing us to recognize learning opportunities for emergency medical services, nurses, health information specialists and more."

Proctor said the conference is unique to the region.

"There are no other conferences like this in our area, and it has been a blessing to offer this to the community for free, thanks to the support of AHEC and Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital," she said. "We have worked hard to provide a diverse range of classes that interest various medical professionals."

Sessions for students include Advanced Airway Placement and Management, Basic 12 Lead Interpretation, Dosage Calculations, Stop the Bleed, Test-Taking Strategies, Unveiling Your Learning Style, and When Good Patients Go Bad.

Health care officials will attend sessions covering AI in the Medical Field, Communicating With Patients in Crisis and Trauma Victims, Realistic Simulation in Education, and Social Determinants of Health.

Joint sessions for students and health care professionals will also be held throughout the day.

In addition to the conference, the Hendrick Regional Blood Center's bloodmobile will be on campus that day holding a community blood drive. The blood drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the Pevehouse parking lot.

For more information about the conference or to register, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScX2Mv_EogXrCjnTZq1-tdi-mcPRrdBL7_6rdzNBU0mjd7KTg/viewform?pli=1. The conference is open to health care providers,d TSTC Allied Health students and students enrolled in allied health programs in the region.

To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

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