ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
The Allied Health programs at Seward County Community College got a big financial boost recently through a state grant that come with some help from some local and area hospitals.
SCCC received $28,000 from the Fiscal Year 2025 Kansas Innovative Technology Grant from the Kansas Board of Regent, and Vice President of Career and Technical Education Dr. Amber Jones said much of the money went to fund Apple Vision Pro VR headsets for virtual and simulated training, as well as help with teaching anatomy and medical technology in a 3-D representation.
The grant required a percentage of matching funds, and SCCC received $3,600 from Liberal’s Southwest Medical Center and other funding from Satanta District Hospital and Memorial Hospital of Texas County in Guymon, Okla.
Jones said the three hospitals participated with both cash and in-kind matches, and she said the school was able to purchase nine VR headsets.
Jones too said SCCC officials hope to use the equipment for training for SWMC employees.
“It’s neat because the set’s similar to a phone where you can download apps, and there’s lots of different virtual apps in the medical field,” she said. “So far, most of what we’ve seen, if not all, are free downloads. You don’t have to pay for the app. You just have to have the equipment to use the app.”
Jones said having community partners supporting SCCC’s programs is nice, and when they understand the needs and want to collaborate with the college to better serve the community, it is equally as nice.
Jones said the equipment will benefit all of the college’s service area in Southwest Kansas, and she said SCCC will work with many area hospitals.
“Our students go to clinicals all over,” she said. “We can expand our reach, and we help students transform their lives by getting those technical degrees, but also, we help these area hospitals train and get skill-trained employees. It’s a give-and-take relationship in all those capacities.”
In addition to Satanta and Guymon, Jones said SCCC has partnerships in Hugoton and other area communities with both its medical and career technical programs.
“We have a lot of relationships and partnerships with other area industries,” she added. “We work with Seaboard. We work with a lot of big employers in our region.”
Jones said students will now be able to visualize the differences between emergency rooms in communities such as Liberal and bigger cities like Kansas City through different experiences.
“There are ways to simulate that larger scale hospital simulation,” she said. “When you’re looking at even medical terminology or anatomy, you can see that 3-D representation a lot better than you can in a 2-D representation, but also, you get an opportunity to introduce people into a sterile environment without having to put them at risk.”
This means, Jones said, students said start in a career such as surgical technology in a safe 3-D environment before moving into a real life environment.
“They get it more,” she said. “It makes it more clear when they can see this is what you’re talking about, and this is the experience I can expect before I get there.”
Jones said the grant money also helps with recruiting of students interested in Allied Health fields.
“They can get a little taste of what that environment is going to be like to help either make their decisions on what avenue they’re going to go in or what they feel more compelled to be a part of,” she said. “They can see what that environment will look and feel like.”
For students who want to enter the medical field but are unsure of exactly want to do, Jones said SCCC can help make the picture clearer.
“There’s always a little risk when you’re starting your education in a career field you may not have any experience in, and that risk could be you get that degree or that certification and you don’t like that environment or you’re not comfortable in that environment,” she said. “I would hate for someone to go through that process and not have a little bit of a foreknowledge of what to expect in that environment. That works in all facets of education. You wouldn’t want to get someone through an elementary education degree, and they teach for a semester and realize it’s not for them. That’s why apprenticeships and some of these things we’re working really hard to open up those opportunities is so beneficial.”
As far as the rest of SCCC’s CTE programs go, Jones said the school is looking to expand its truck driving program at its West Campus.
“We’re looking at modifying or adopting the program,” she said.
Jones said SCCC too is looking to become eligible for Pell grants when the short-term Pell option becomes available in fall 2026.
“We’re going to work towards that,” she said. “That’s going to be a good option. Students may in the near future be able to use financial aid to go through some of our more short-term programs. We have short-term maintenance tech, and that’s something that should be Pell eligible in about a year.”
Jones said students have many opportunities to learn and get certifications in fields such as corrosion, natural gas and drafting.
“Those areas on the technical side, if they’re interested in those fields, they can make great income and have lots of livelihood, and it’s not always in the shop,” she said. “Some of those are more office based. There’s a variety. Drafting is a lot of computer and creativity. With corrosion, there’s a lot of chemistry and measurement. Natural gas is a lot of hands on and engine work.”
Jones said students can pick and choose from the fields they are most comfortable with and enjoy doing, and she encourages students to do what they enjoy.
“Then we can help you get a career that incorporates that where you can make a healthy income and change their life of your family,” she said.
Jones said for those wanting to go into the medical field but not nursing, Allied Health offers many other options for them.
“You may not feel comfortable as a nurse, but you might feel great in a medical laboratory environment or in a surgical technician environment,” she said. “You’re working in a process of fixing a problem, and someone else will be doing the caring and respiratory therapy. We have had so much great success with our students getting into those programs.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones said many became aware of the importance of respiration and respiratory care, and this has allowed SCCC to build on its already successful programs in those fields.
“It’s a different environment than being a nurse, but you learn amazing skills that can be very beneficial to you financially,” she said. “You can have a very healthy career in the local area, and you can have opportunities outside of our local area if you choose to.”
Jones said people likewise became more aware of the need for medical and health care specialists following COVID, and she added this awareness applies also to the knowledge of the education needed to be specialist.
“Sometimes, we think in order to specialize in the Allied Health field, you have to become a doctor and specialize in that field, but there’s specialized programs,” she said.
Jones said SCCC’s recruitment has also benefitted, but ultimately, the goal of school leaders is to have more people about what the college has to offer, which will likely lead to higher enrollment numbers.
Jones said while the school’s enrollment numbers are great, the reason this is important is SCCC faculty and staff want to make as many people’s lives better as possible.
“The more people who can come and be a part of Seward County Community College and get those degrees, get those certifications, you instantly make just not your financial life and trajectory different. You make your kids’ lives better,” she said. “That’s why we have so much success with students coming to enroll, and when they are successful here, they tell their friends it’s a great environment and we have incredible teachers and a supportive staff. We really are about what we need to do – to serve students and how we need to serve the community here at Seward.”
