Yuma, Arizona - Nativa Acosta is the first student to participate in the Surgical Technology program that’s now being offered as an option for local students thanks to a partnership between Arizona Western College and Mohave Community College.
This collaboration gives AWC students the opportunity to earn their Associate of Applied Science degree in Surgical Technology by completing prerequisite courses at AWC, taking in-person and online classes through MCC’s Lake Havasu campus, and finishing with a year of hands-on clinicals within the Yuma community.
“Rural colleges in Arizona are looking at ways on how they can collaborate on programs. Many times the enrollment is not there specifically for one program, but if we collaborate and pool our students together, we can actually enable colleges to meet the healthcare demands of their particular area while not taking on a great deal of overhead,” said Dr. Linda Elliott-Nelson, AWC Vice President for Learning Services.
This is one of the many grow-your-own initiatives that has been led by AWC in an attempt to provide additional training and education to fill needed positions within Yuma County.
“We talked with Yuma Regional Medical Center about what they saw as the prime areas within healthcare that they really needed in the community and surgical technology was one of them,” she said. Surgical technicians work alongside surgeons, doctors, and specialists in the operating room as a critical part of the surgical care team.
As part of this new opportunity, the AWC Foundation is funding Nativa Acosta’s travel to Orlando, Florida from May 31 to June 2 for the Association of Surgical Technologists National Conference. The conference will feature educational sessions led by nationally distinguished surgeons.
“For me, this program isn't only an education or a chance to get a good job. It truly is my passion. I’ve always loved anatomy and physiology, the human body, and medicine. Helping people while also practicing the science I love is icing on the cake. So, to be able to go to this conference to help further my education and further fuel my passion makes me not only grateful, but more excited than I could probably explain,” Acosta said.
As the first student to participate in this program, she shared that it’s a great feeling to be able to pave the way for others who share her same passion for the medical field.
“It has taken a lot of dedication and determination to be able to do the classes, but I feel that if I can do it while working full-time and raising a teenager as a single mom, then I am setting an example for other AWC students who may want to go on and do this program,” she said.