January 26, 2012 Newsletter

Announcements (courtesy of the stylish, striped-tie-wearing Allan Penwell)

Tod Satterthwaite is our newest member, and he introduced himself to our club.  He’s a Uni grad but is just now finishing up his bachelor’s.  In the meantime Todd has owned Todd & John’s, was in the Peace Corps for two years, and was mayor of Urbana for 12 years.  Since being mayor, his sister and he have owned the concessions, Kickapoo Landing, at Kickapoo State Park.  Welcome Tod!

Program

Our speaker last Thursday was Bobbi Scholze who is the chair of the Health Professions department at Parkland.

 There are 20 different programs offered in her department including dental, nursing, radiology, dietary, veterinary, and surgical.  Classes are offered at the main campus but also on North Mattis.  Graduates can expect annual salaries up to $75,000, and most find jobs immediately after finishing their studies.

While part of the program is traditional lecture, much of the studies are hands-on such as the dental lab which is open to the public.  There is also a state of the art simulation lab where a dummy is able to show different responses such as pain, stroke, heart attack, and others.  Students are taught early recognition of life-like symptoms.  Parkland has also teamed up with the University of Illinois medical school on surgical techniques and procedures which train student nurses and doctors at the same time.