Crook County High School's Health Science Career Technical Education program recently purchased a number of mannequin arms to practice starting an IV. Now, they have IV start kits to go with them.
The kits were part of a number of items donated to the program earlier this month by St. Charles Prineville as part of an ongoing partnership between the two organizations. Students in the program spent a recent Friday morning rolling hospital beds, IV poles, walkers and hand trucks piled high with medical equipment into the school.
“It’s really important that St. Charles is involved in the community and building partnerships,” said Todd Shields, vice president and hospital administrator at St. Charles Prineville.
Last fall, Shields met with CCHS Health Science Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher Katy Joyce, CTE coordinator Ryan Cochran and contracted CTE coordinator Jason Carr. They discussed items that might expand learning opportunities for Crook County High School students.
Shields asked Joyce to send him a wish list of items. The list ended up being pretty long.
“They have secured many of the items, and we will continue to work together to serve the training and education needs of our students,” Joyce said.
Shields noted that technology changes quickly in the medical field, and he was aware of some equipment and supplies that the hospital was no longer using but that would be beneficial to students.
“I wanted it to go to someone who was going to use it, and we really need to partner and focus on developing our young students in the health career pathway,” he said.
The largest items include two hospital beds, some IV poles, walkers, crutches and over-bed tables. St. Charles also donated various supplies such as IV start kits, catheters and bags to practice measuring urinary output, and many other items.
The equipment and supplies will be used in many of Joyce’s classes, such as health occupations, first responder and sports medicine.
Items will be used to expand the learning experience of students and give them hands-on application of items used every day in the workforce. Joyce said her students will get to practice skills such as safe patient handling, transferring patients from the bed, changing bed linens with mannequins in the bed, starting IVs and drawing blood.
Shields said that going forward, St. Charles will continue to provide excess supplies to the program.
The recent donation is a continuation of a long history of partnership between St. Charles and Crook County School District. The hospital has hosted job shadows for health occupations students for a number of years, and Shields has appointed Dr. Maggie King, a primary care physician, to the Health Sciences Advisory committee.
“Our goal is to always continue to evaluate the education we are offering against industry needs and standards and adjust as the industry does. This partnership is an important part of that process,” Joyce said.
