AVONDALE, Arizona - The SouthWest Skill Center (SWSC) at Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) will celebrate the accomplishments of 120 students at their Summer Completion Ceremony on Thursday, June 21, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. at Copper Canyon High School, located in Glendale at 9126 West Camelback Road.
The ceremony honors and recognizes students completing their programs in Practical Nursing, Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy, Spanish Medical Interpreter, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and Medical Billing and Coding.
“The completion ceremony is important to our students, but it’s also important to our staff and faculty,” said center director Tom Cotner. “We are committed to providing the best possible learning experience so that our students feel confident and well-prepared for their new careers, and we enjoy watching our students and their families celebrate this life achievement.”
Two students were selected to speak at the Completion Ceremony based on their accomplishments. Rosa McGinness represents eight of the students successfully completing the Spanish Medical Interpreter program, and Charles Sebrell is the youngest one of 27 students completing the Practical Nursing program.
McGinness was part of the first Spanish Medical Interpreter cohort class at the Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center. The east-meets-west partnership between Scottsdale Healthcare and the SWSC at EMCC was created to deliver and offer an on-site program for their staff’s professional development.
“Scottsdale Healthcare views effective communication as an important patient right, and the Spanish Medical Interpreter program adds yet another dimension to our standard of excellence in personalized healthcare,” says Minnie Brown, Supervisor of Workforce Development at Scottsdale Healthcare. “We extend a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to EMCC and the SWSC faculty for bringing this opportunity to our doorstep.”
Rosa McGinness, alongside her husband, built a very successful, national business in hospital medical recruitment and staffing. When her husband passed away in 2005, she not only lost her husband, she lost her business partner and mentor. McGinness grew up speaking Spanish and throughout her adult life found herself interpreting for her parents and others when communication was needed with medical staff. She soon found herself becoming an advocate as well, helping her Spanish-speaking family and friends to ask the “right” questions to get the needed and proper medical care. Now, McGinness has blended her life experiences into becoming a skilled and certified Spanish Medical Interpreter, ready to help patients and medical staff better communicate in critical, life-saving settings. “I’ve always been committed to working in the medical industry because it’s so important to be in a ‘helping’ profession that positively impacts lives,” said McGinness. “This program has been a wonderful step in my career!”
Charles Sebrell was a star baseball player at his high school in Ashland, Oregon. During his senior year, a prominent college in California offered him a full-ride baseball scholarship and he decided to pursue a nursing degree. His mom is a massage therapist in Oregon where he was raised with holistic health views and a passion for helping and caring for people. He was on his way to a career in the minor league with the dream of possibly advancing to the major leagues. But, as young pitchers often encounter, Sebrell suffered a shoulder injury while in college which not only ruined his baseball career, he also lost his scholarship. He drifted to various universities continuing his nursing studies, but finally landed in Tempe upon the encouragement of his best friend who was attending ASU. However, Sebrell chose the community college route for several reasons: 1) ASU had a waiting list, 2) tuition was much more affordable, and 3) MCCCD graduates had much better scores on their licensing exams. “It was a long journey to get to this point, but Estrella Mountain Community College one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” says Sebrell. “And I plan to continue my studies to become a Nurse Practitioner.” Now, Sebrell plans on taking another journey. He plans to become a volunteer nurse with the “Doctors Without Borders” program so he can travel and experience different cultures, and become a “major league” nurse.
Since 1999, the SouthWest Skill Center has offered short-term job training and career development, specializing in allied health careers. SWSC students completing the PN program have an impressive 90 percent first-time pass rate on the exam leading to LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) designation. For students continuing into the EMCC Registered Nurse transfer program, there is an 84 percent pass rate for the exam leading to their RN license. The Center has been acclaimed for its active learning in a highly technological environment, such as the simulation lab which creates a practicum patient experience for students.
Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) offers transfer-ready academic courses and job-specific occupational training to approximately 15,000 students annually. The flagship campus is located on Thomas and Dysart Roads in Avondale and the EMCC Buckeye Educational Center is located in downtown Buckeye. Estrella Mountain is part of the Maricopa County Community College District, one of the largest community college districts in the nation. www.estrellamountain.edu or www.maricopa.edu .