Northwood Tech News

(8/18/2022) Northwood Technical College held a ribbon cutting and open house at the new Health Education Center (HEC) located in Shell Lake, WI on Wednesday, August 17. The building previously housed the Northwood Tech business offices that were stationed at the Shell Lake location and was remodeled to create the HEC. Attendees of the open house toured the innovative facility with demonstrations inside the state-of-the-art labs replicated to simulate a working health environment including hi-fidelity mannequins. Attendees also saw a demonstration of the anatomage table to explain how students will be able to virtually dissect and study the human body while on location.

“Instructors control the mannequins from behind a one-way window, providing specific scenarios for students to respond to that they may not see during their clinical experience, such as the birth of a baby. The mannequins range from newborns to geriatrics, which provide an impressive array of potential scenarios,” indicated Mari Jo Ulrich, Dean, Health Sciences.

The open house provided community members with an exclusive look at how the field of health and science is rapidly changing and progressing over time. For educational institutions like Northwood Tech, that means staying on top of and adapting with the evolving system of healthcare for the latest practices for incoming students. Students will receive quality instruction and training through collaboration, simulated learning, virtual and telehealth experiences, evidence-based learning, and application of healthcare-based skills that will lead to safe, high-quality healthcare for communities in Northwestern Wisconsin as students graduate and move into the workforce.

“The Health Education Center is a cutting-edge learning space that will allow students throughout the region to achieve their goals. The project was a great opportunity to repurpose a former administrative building into a place that will directly serve our students and communities,” explained College President, Dr. John Will. 

Using Shell Lake as a central location allows the College to efficiently save on the costs that were associated with purchasing and maintaining the simulation equipment and technology at all four campus locations. The central location between all four campuses creates a better schedule for students and staff to utilize the HEC and maximize learning opportunities with less cancellations or disruptions to schedules.

Utilizing the simulations cuts down on the need for time in clinical and fieldwork settings outside of the classroom or labs. There’s a strong emphasis on mastering a students’ skills in a safe environment, which builds skills and confidence. This is a significant factor for Northwood Tech students that are not only competing with other students from other colleges for clinical placements and fieldwork to complete hours, but also certain factors that have limited the ability of some hospitals and clinics to accept Northwood Tech students for clinicals or fieldwork, including COVID-19, limited staffing and productivity requirements. This causes the students in healthcare programs to not be able to complete required program competencies. The HEC assists in pushing these barriers aside to provide students with the hands-on training needed to keep up with today’s rigorous healthcare environments, although it won’t replace them entirely for students to learn and demonstrate required competencies.

To learn more about the Health Education Center head to NorthwoodTech.edu/campuses/health-education-center.

Northwood Tech is grateful for all its community partnerships. Your support of the Northwood Tech Foundation is essential to student success. For information on how to contribute, visit www.northwoodtech.edu/donate.

Northwood Technical College is a nationally top-ranked college and designated Silver 2022-23 Military Friendly® School that puts your Learning First. Northwood Tech serves the educational and career needs of more than 15,000 residents of Northwestern Wisconsin each year. With multiple campuses, Northwood Tech offers career-focused associate degree programs, technical diplomas, short-term certificates, customized business training, and a wide array of courses for personal or career enrichment. Northwood Tech is a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org). For more information, call 800.243.9482 or visit NorthwoodTech.edu. Northwood Technical College is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer and Educator.