Dr. Jane Ingalls, RN, head of nursing and Allied Health at Germanna Community College, and instructor Jennifer Corwin, an experienced surgical nurse, talk about GCC's new surgical scrub nurse program, which holds classes at the Daniel Center in Culpeper.

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Germanna Community College is offering a Career Studies Certificate in Industrial Maintenance Technology at its Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper. The program is designed to meet the growing need for trained industrial maintenance technicians and to help those already in such jobs upgrade their skills.

Thomas Payette, a 22-year-old Orange High School graduate who works at Eagle Eye Electric expects the skills he's learning to advance his career as an electrician in an industry hungry for young workers.

"Over 40,000 people will leave our industry over seven years," Virginia Manufacturers Association President Brett Vassey says. "We have the oldest working population of any sector-- including government-- in the Commonwealth."

Germanna's new lab boasts “mechatronics” technology combining mechanical and electrical engineering with information systems.

The program includes eight courses. Much of the work may be completed online.

Tim Walker, an instructor in the GCC program said many local companies are paying for their employees to take the courses. "They'll be getting back a better mechanic, a better worker," Walker said.

For more information on the program, call GCC at 540/937-2900 or 540/891-3012.

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BY KAREN BOLIPATA

The Free Lance-Star

Germanna Community College spent $12.8 million in the Fredericksburg region in 2007-2008, according to an economic-impact study conducted by an Idaho-based consulting firm.

Past students generate $228.4 million in income to the region, bringing Germanna's total economic impact to $241.2 million each year.

That amounts to 2.1 percent of the area's total annual income.

President David Sam presented the findings of Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. at a board meeting this week, saying they could be used to urge businesses and donors to invest in the college.

"It could demonstrate that there is return on investment, that we are a good steward of the resources, that we are making a difference in the community," Sam said.

Because most students are from the area, just $34,000 comes from spending by students who live outside the region.

Germanna serves Fredericksburg, Culpeper and the counties of Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Caroline and King George.

According to the study, the college affects the local economy in three ways:

Local purchases, including wages paid to faculty and staff.

Spending by out-of-region students.

Students' contributions to area income with their education and work-force skills.

About 95 percent of Germanna students stay in Virginia and contribute to economic growth. The study says the state saves $235,900 in avoided social costs each year, with savings in health, law enforcement, welfare and unemployment.

Each dollar the college spends on students generates a return of $3.70 for the local economy over the course of students' working careers.

Students, in turn, see their annual income increase by $153 per year for each credit they complete at Germanna.

In a working lifetime, those who graduate with associate degrees earn $385,200 more than someone with a high school diploma.

EMSI applied an economic model designed to find the economic benefits of community and technical colleges.

According to a study released last week by George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis, last year the University of Mary Washington contributed $115 million to the Fredericksburg region and $108 million to the state.

Its total economic impact was $226 million.

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Germanna Community College will work with Stafford County Schools, the University of Mary Washington and other organizations to open the Stafford Academy for Technology for ninth-graders for the 2009-2010 school year.

Academy instructional teams will include teachers for fields of study including Informational Technology, Pre-Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, Mathematics, Science and English.

Parents and STAT partners got a preview this week at UMW's College of Graduate and Professional Studies.

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Colonial Forge High School’s 'Teachers for Tomorrow' students who visited GCC Campus are enrolled in the SDV 110 course, Orientation to Teaching, which allows students to earn both high school and college credit at the high school. This new Dual Enrollment course developed by the Virginia Community College System and the Virginia Department of Education is being offered first at CFHS.

Many of the CFHS students are also earning DE English Composition, Calculus, and Biology credits at CFHS through Germanna’s Dual Enrollment Program. In addition to SDV 110, Colonial Forge also added drafting courses to their Dual Enrollment Offerings this fall. During the campus visit, students learned about Germanna’s Education transfer degree program from Mark Haines, Coordinator of Counseling Services. Matt Mejia, Associate Dean of Admissions from the University of Mary Washington also provided information about how students can begin at GCC and then transfer to UMW to complete their BA or BS degree, while also earning teacher licensure. Dr. Frances Doloph from ODU spoke about transfer to ODU Teletechnet as well. 'Teachers for Tomorrow' instructor Susan Easter accompanied the CFHS students.

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The GCC Surgical Scrub Nurse class, taught by Jennifer Corwin, is growing fast because of the increasing need for scrub nurses that will be created when Culpeper Regional Hospital expands and new hospitals are constructed in Spotsylvania and Stafford counties

The Surgical Scrub Nurse class practices in a simulated operating room at the Daniel Technical Center in Culpeper.

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By NATE DELESLINE III

The Culpeper Star-Exponent

Germanna Community College students are applying their emerging nursing skills hands-on at Culpeper Regional Hospital.

All of the students are part of the school’s two-year registered nurse program and will officially earn the title after passing a state exam after their two years of academic and clinical work.

In addition to lightening the load on the regular full-time staff, the new nurses will help to reverse a nationwide shortage of nurses.

“We’re very thankful to have students,” said Janice Suter, CRH’s vice president of nursing services.

Industry experts point to many factors that have contributed to the nursing shortage. One is an increase in the volume of health-care services delivered to an aging population of baby boomers. Add to that shift work, long working hours and pay that isn’t always equal to the responsibilities and stress of the job and analysts say that it’s difficult to recruit young people and keep experienced personnel in the industry.

But student Shanon Fleming said working toward being a registered nurse is the right path for her.

“I enjoy talking with the patients, I like the fast pace,” she said. And after working as a nursing assistant for more than a decade, Fleming said that she wanted to take the next step in her career and education.

For first-year students, who do clinical work four days each week, a typical day begins around 7 a.m. After arriving, students meet with instructors and find out which patients they’ll be responsible for that day. The students normally see a different patient each day, and their work varies depending on the needs of the patient.

The students work in the hospital’s medical-surgical unit, an intermediate area that is one step below intensive care. They assist with many aspects of patient care including monitoring and documenting vital signs, giving medications, changing IVs, helping patients get dressed and groom themselves and most often, providing a willing and sympathetic ear. Each student’s work is monitored by the school instructors and experienced nurses.

“A lot of people just want to talk,” said Jillian Witkowski, another first-year nursing student. “I’ve really enjoyed it,” she said. “I had no idea what to expect.” Although seeing someone different each day is difficult, she said it adds a unique challenge and appeal to the job.

Clinical work continues for two years, throughout the RN program. During their second year, students begin working six days each week and may care for several patients at once.

According to a 2005 report from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, the state will need more than 22,000 new nurses by 2020.

To augment the ranks, the Virginia Community College System challenged its 23 schools to produce 80 percent more nursing graduates. About 70 nursing students graduated from the program in 2007, twice the size of the 2005 graduating class, according to school statement.

“We celebrate this accomplishment,” Germanna President David A. Sam said, “but we could not have done this without the support of Culpeper Regional Hospital and other health care providers who work with us in public-private partnerships. In return for their support, we’re excited to be able to send nursing graduates to the hospitals in our communities, where there is such a critical need.”

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By KAREN BOLIPATA

The Free Lance-Star

Meaghan Gallagher inserted a syringe into a vial of medicine, careful not to withdraw more than she needed.

"Now you see the difference between giving babies medicine [compared] to adults," nursing instructor Judy Hampton told her.

Gallagher, 22, approached her patient, a toddler who wasn't particularly happy to see her.

"Can I see your arm, buddy?" Gallagher asked the squealing child.

It was Gallagher's first time doing the procedure, and Hampton, a registered nurse, stayed by her side.

In the halls of the pediatric ward of Mary Washington Hospital, Gallagher's classmates--all nursing students at Germanna Community College--had their own patients to worry about.

When they finish the two-year program, they'll help offset the nationwide nursing shortage.

"That is a crisis that surrounds us in our community," said Jane Ingalls, director of Germanna's Nursing and Allied Health Programs.

By 2020, Virginia will need an additional 22,600 nurses, according to a 2005 report released by the Virginia Community College System and the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.

The VCCS challenged its schools to produce 80 percent more nursing graduates to meet that need, Ingalls said.

With an 88 percent success rate in graduating nurses, Germanna is at the forefront of those efforts, followed by Lord Fairfax Community College with 85 percent.

Overall, the VCCS has a 70 productivity rate in turning out nursing graduates.

"We are so excited about the success that our efforts of enrollment and expansion and student retention" have brought, Ingalls said.

In 2002 to 2003, 817 students graduated from VCCS nursing programs, according to a press release. Last year, the number rose to 1,365.

At Germanna, about 70 nursing students graduated from the program in 2007, nearly doubling the 2005 graduating class.

The majority of Germanna nursing graduates work in area hospitals, and two new hospitals--Stafford Hospital Center and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center--are opening in the next few years.

"In order to meet the increasing demand, we're going to need more qualified teachers, and we need space," Ingalls said, referring to the need for donations to help build a new nursing building at Germanna's Locust Grove Campus.

When Gallagher graduates in May, she hopes to work at a hospital in the Fredericksburg area before finding a job at a children's hospital.

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Peter Rice, founder of Plow & Hearth, is facilitating a group of area business leaders planning a Customer Service Academy that will be offered by Germanna Community College's Workforce and Continuing Education program.

The Academy will assist the region's business community in improving the quality of customer service.

Rice provided insight into how Plow & Hearth became an outstanding customer-focused company.

Among the local business leaders putting the Germanna Customer Service Academy together are Rice; Bob Hagan of the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce; Bob Alexander, CEO ofPratt Medical; Brian Baker: Executive Director of the Rappahannock Region Small Business Development Center, M.C. Moncure, Stafford County Tourism Manager, Colleen Hairston, President of the Fredericksburg Hospitality Association, Russell Seymour, Director of Economic Development for Spotsylvania County, Tom Blalock of Union Bank and Trust, Judi Bartlett, Associate Dean of Instruction at Germanna, Sharon Clark, ow