Estrella Mountain Community College’s SouthWest Skill Center will celebrate the accomplishments of 170 students at its completion ceremony to be held Friday, March 4, 2011 at the Estrella Mountain Community College Ceremonial Plaza, located at Thomas and Dysart Roads in Avondale. The ceremony will start at 4:00 p.m.
This completion ceremony will honor students completing programs in medical assistant, phlebotomy, medical billing and coding, emergency medical technician (EMT), practical nursing, nurse assistant and Spanish medical interpreter. Student speakers include Tamra Harris-Juarez, representing the EMT program, and Charlanne Anglen, representing the professional nursing (PN) program.
Personal experience led Harris-Juarez to her career path. Her son Aaron, now seven, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was just three years old. Harris-Juarez says nurses caring for him touched her heart and inspired her to begin studies to become a registered nurse. She thought the EMT program would be a good starting point on her educational journey.
“Deciding to enroll in the EMT program turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. It’s a wonderful program, with good teachers and lots of opportunity to hone critical skills,” said Harris-Juarez.
Harris-Juarez said the EMCC EMT program provided memorable clinical experience. For instance, she was on a team that resuscitated several patients, including a choking victim and another patient whose heart was over 200 beats per minute; the EMT team restarted his heart with the help of an automatic external defibrillator (AED). Now finished with her prerequisites and co-requisites, Harris-Juarez is looking forward to enrolling in the RN program through Marciopa Community Colleges. After getting her RN degree, she hopes to work in the field of pediatric hematology and oncology.
The SouthWest Skill Center offers short-term job training and career development in allied health and distribution logistics. It has recently added two programs, one to prepare students for a position as a Home Healthcare Aide, and another program which provides instruction and training in the Veterinary Assistant field. For more information about the SouthWest Skill Center, please call 623 535 2700.