Elizabethtown Community and Technical College’s radiography program receives equipment donation from Baptist Health Hardin
The donated equipment includes a portable X-ray machine and a C-arm machine, which radiography students usually do not have access to until clinical rotations, giving ECTC students a leg up in the field.
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College has received a valuable equipment donation from Baptist Health Hardin that will benefit students in the radiography program. The donated portable X-ray machine and C-arm machine will give students hands-on experience that students typically do not get until they are working in the field on clinical rotations.
According to an article on Elizabethtown Community and Technical College’s website, April Thompson, who serves as the Radiography Program Coordinator as well as an instructor, noted that this technology will be extremely beneficial for students in the program. She is quoted as saying, “It is extremely rare for a radiography student to have access to this equipment before they begin clinical rotations and interact with patients in a healthcare setting. This gives our students a meaningful advantage, and we are thankful to our longtime partner Baptist Health Hardin.”
The equipment will allow the program instructors to simulate real-world scenarios for the students, such as performing x-rays on immobilized patients or during a surgery. These situations, while often coming up in the real world, are difficult to present to students without the right equipment, which means that students often do not get to practice these situations until they arise during clinical rotations.
The equipment was donated by Baptist Health Hardin once it no longer served the hospital. The donation was executed by the hospital’s Radiology Director Bert Jones, who often visits classrooms of radiography students.
Jones said, “ECTC is critical to developing the workforce we need to provide the best possible care to our patients, and we want to invest in the allied health programs and students. When we contribute to a better experience for ECTC students, we can count on hiring strong new employees down the road.”
Of last year’s graduating class of 10 radiography students from ECTC, seven of those students were hired by Baptist Health Hardin.
“The students are very excited about using the equipment, and they are excited to see a regional employer invest in their college,” said Thompson.
For more information about Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, visit the school’s website.