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Spotlight on Education: Sentara College of Health Sciences
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EP Lab Digest. 2023;23(3):17-18.
When was the electrophysiology (EP) program started?
Sentara College of Health Sciences started their EP program in Spring 2011. The program was created based on feedback from the EP community, as Sentara Healthcare was seeking highly qualified technologists to staff their EP labs.
Sentara College of Health Sciences is a small college within the Sentara Healthcare system. The college has grown over the last century from being a school for nursing and providing a diploma, to providing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, associate’s degrees in cardiovascular technology and surgical technology, and certificate programs for monitor surveillance technicians, patient care technicians, and medical assistants. The program has evolved from an Associate of Occupational Science to an Associate of Applied Science degree program. The program is delivered in a hybrid format, so students have some online courses, but the majority of courses in the disciplines are hybrid courses. Students are responsible for watching instructional videos and completing homework off-site, and then they come to the college for knowledge transformation days, where they apply what they have learned from the video lessons. Skills labs and clinical experiences are delivered in face-to-face format. In August 2021, the college added an academic certificate for EP, which provides individuals who were cross-trained in the EP lab with an opportunity to learn foundational theory and knowledge of EP, and apply those concepts to their daily work in the EP lab. The academic certificate is fully online and covers 3 semesters.
Who manages the program?
Dr Phil Gentlesk is the medical director of the program; his responsibilities include ensuring the program is providing quality curriculum that is tracking with current trends in the field. Dr Hunsinger oversees the program at the college.
How many students can be enrolled in each cohort?
Currently, the program can enroll a maximum of 5 students per cohort. The small size is due to the limited clinical sites that are dedicated EP labs. As we expand out of the Hampton Roads (southeast) area of Virginia, we hope to increase our enrollment and have students participate in clinical rotations throughout the state. The academic certificate can accept up to 20 students per cohort.
What is the length of your EP program?
The associate’s degree is 2 years once the student is accepted into the program. Prior to acceptance, students must complete prerequisite courses to include anatomy and physiology I and II with a lab, college algebra, English composition, chemistry with a lab, medical terminology, fine arts or humanities elective, and a social science elective. The college does not offer the prerequisite courses, so students must have a certain percentage completed prior to applying to the program.
What is the number of faculty for your program?
There is one dedicated, full-time faculty to teach the EP curriculum for the associate’s degree program. Elizabeth Olah, a graduate of the EP program, came back to teach in January 2021. She is the program coordinator for EP. Linda Blais, core curriculum program coordinator, is responsible for teaching introductory courses during the students’ first semester on campus. Our clinical coordinator, Elizabeth Jerabek, is responsible for checking in on the students during clinical rotations. In the online academic certificate program, adjunct Suzi Sheaffer facilitates the coursework, discussions, and assessments. All of the individuals are invaluable to the success of our students at Sentara College of Health Sciences.
What types of procedures are taught?
In the associate’s degree program, students begin to learn about patient care and procedural setup during their first semester in the aseptic technique skills lab. They spend time learning how to move and transport patients, don and doff procedural and personal protective equipment, perform basic handwashing skills, obtain vital signs, clean equipment, practice safety habits, open sterile supplies, add supplies to the sterile field, perform surgical hand scrubs, use antiseptic solutions, prep and drape a patient for different procedures, pack and instrument setup, prep supplies and equipment, obtain vascular access, use a manifold setup, dismantle the sterile field, and assist with room turnover. In the second semester, students focus on the specifics of prepping for different EP studies and cardiac device implants. In the third and fourth semesters, students spend approximately 900 hours in the clinical setting actively learning how to be an EP specialist. For the academic certificate, the first semester focuses on foundational theory and knowledge of cardiac EP, the second semester focuses on specific EP studies, and the final semester focuses on cardiac devices.
Describe a typical day in the program.
From the first semester, our program is intensive and requires students to have excellent time management, prioritization, and organizational skills. Being in our program is the equivalent of working a full-time job, so it difficult to work and be successful in the program; however, we have had people complete the program while working a regular job. The program is challenging but rewarding for students and faculty.
What opportunities exist upon graduation?
Students graduate with the fundamental theory and knowledge of the field, and are able to become a working professional upon graduation. Typically, students quickly move through the orientation process because of experience gained through the college. There is also an opportunity for students to take the registered cardiovascular electrophysiology specialist examination prior to graduation, because the program is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs; the same is true for our academic certificate.
The associate’s degree program has graduated 10 cohorts of EP students. Most have been hired within health care; after a year or so of working in the lab, some students have chosen different pathways, such as industry, management, traveling, and teaching. The academic certificate program has graduated one cohort thus far, with the second group recently finishing their first of 3 semesters.
Tell us about where the college is located.
From our historic beginnings, the Hampton Roads region of southeast Virginia has grown into a diverse, dynamic, and exciting area, with more than 1.8 million residents and counting. The college is located in Chesapeake, just minutes from the oceanfront and our border with North Carolina. Hampton Roads has a strong military presence with 15 military bases located throughout the region representing every branch of the United States military. At any given time, tens of thousands of men and women who live here serve in the armed forces. Additionally, individuals who were previously stationed here from across the country choose to retire locally due to the high quality of life in Hampton Roads. We are proud to support our troops and take pride in their positive impact on our community.
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Disclosures: The author has completed and returned the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. She has no conflicts of interest to report regarding the content herein.
