School of Nursing & Health Sciences News Articles

Pennsylvania College of Technology has appointed Elizabeth S. Gizenski to director of its surgical technology program. Gizenski, a registered nurse and certified surgical technologist, had been the program’s clinical director since 2005. She received the college’s award for Excellence in Academic Advising in 2019.

A nursing director at Pennsylvania College of Technology co-authored a piece, published recently in Rehabilitation Nursing Journal, that reveals a drop in hospital readmission rates among rehabilitation patients when nurses implement a “teach-back” patient education strategy. Kelly T. Bidlespacher, director of nursing-bachelor’s and graduate degrees at Penn College, pursued the evidence-based practice improvement project as part of her doctoral studies.

The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education recently reaffirmed its accreditation of Pennsylvania College of Technology’s physical therapist assistant major. The reaffirmation extends the program’s accreditation for the next 10 years. The reaffirmation is based on a self-study by the college and a visit to campus by CAPTE.

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s dental hygiene Class of 2024 represents the most men the program has ever enrolled. Forty students are accepted into the program each year. Five men are part of the cohort set to graduate May 10.

Jordyn G. Nichols, a sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing, was featured in a Jan. 6 Williamsport Sun-Gazette story for the care she provided to a patient’s pup. When Chad Losell learned the arrangements he’d made for his dachshund to be cared for while he had heart surgery had fallen through, he considered postponing the life-saving procedure. “It obviously was causing tremendous stress on him, and I just wanted to take care of that completely,” Nichols told the Sun-Gazette’s Pat Crossley.

On their last clinical day at Janet Weis Children's Hospital in Danville, students in Penn College's LPN to RN program shared the spirit of giving with pediatric patients and their families, gifting them with new toys, books and activities for the holiday season.

Soon-to-graduate Bachelor of Science in nursing students recently presented research that integrated their final three courses: Adult Health Nursing III, Leadership & Management in Nursing, and Research & Theory in Clinical Practice.

A $50,000 gift from the Dr. and Mrs. Arthur William Phillips Charitable Trust has helped Pennsylvania College of Technology purchase laboratory equipment for students in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences. A portion of the funding went toward a pediatric “phantom” for radiography students and the remainder aided in the purchase of a Super TORY S220 advanced newborn patient simulator for nursing students.

Kelly T. Bidlespacher, director of nursing, bachelor and graduate degrees, at Pennsylvania College of Technology, completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice in educational leadership from Grand Canyon University in November. Bidlespacher’s studies culminated in an evidence-based direct practice improvement project that she titled “The Effect of Teach-Back on Readmission Rates in Rehabilitation Patients.”

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s dental hygiene program provided free oral care to 22 children and teens during a Sealant Saturday event on Nov. 4. “The future of our community’s oral health looks brighter, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our students and volunteers offering free dental services to children in need,” said Tiana L. Minnick, instructor of dental hygiene, who spearheaded the event. “It was a rewarding experience for everyone involved.”