#programhighlight

If working behind the scenes to help people in healthcare is your passion, then you’ll want to keep reading! This month, we are highlighting a program that’s new to CVTC this fall: Health Navigator. To know more about what this program entails, check out our interview with Program Director, Julie Pepper, below.

Why was this program added at CVTC?

This program was added in response to requests from area healthcare facilities. They are seeing the need for more people in their organizations to help patients and their families navigate through the complexities of the healthcare system and find the resources they may need outside the hospital.

What course are you most looking forward to teaching in this program?

For our first semester, I am looking forward to teaching the Culture of Healthcare course; this will be a great introductory course for students. They will hopefully gain a better understanding of how healthcare organizations operate and see all the different professions involved with providing the best possible care to our patients.

What do you feel is the biggest skill students will learn in this program?

As a health navigator, students will need to know how all aspects of healthcare function. From insurance to nursing homes to home healthcare, patients will be looking for information and help to guide them through the process, so it’s important to know the ins and outs of healthcare.

What makes this program unique?

It provides an opportunity for people to work in healthcare without needing to have the clinical types of skills. Graduates from this program will be able to help patients find the resources they need to manage their health. They could be helping a patient understand their insurance coverage, completing the necessary steps to get a procedure or piece of equipment covered, or they may help patients find an adult daycare to help care for an aging partner or parent. Being a health navigator provides a unique opportunity to help patients in a way that has not been offered by healthcare facilities before.

What makes this program challenging?

The challenges are also what makes this program so interesting. There is a lot to learn about the whole healthcare system and the organizations associated with healthcare. When you have the knowledge, you can communicate with a broad range of people. Students could be working with the elderly, their families, pediatrics, and diverse patients with special needs. They need the information and it has to be presented in a way that everyone can understand.

How will this program impact the Chippewa Valley?

This program will allow healthcare systems to fill the gap in patient care. We have many wonderful healthcare providers, nurses, medical assistants, physical therapists, etc. who already have more than enough on their plates. A health navigator can provide additional care that patients need in dealing with a life changing situation.

What is your experience in the field?

I have worked in healthcare for more than 20 years and often provided the services of a health navigator without the specific title. As we look at the changing world of healthcare reimbursement, the focus is on providing a holistic approach to services, and a health navigator can certainly help with that.

Anything else you’d like to say?

It’s okay to admit it…we all get gassy at times, some of us more than others. This month, we are highlighting a brand new program that works with gas all day long: Gas Utility Construction & Service. This fall, we are bringing this program to CVTC! Wanna know why and what it’s all about? Check out our interview with Program Director, RC Jensen, below!

Why was this program added at CVTC?

There is a huge demand for qualified personnel in the gas industry. These are good paying, steady jobs. There are approximately 9 million people in the natural gas industry today, and in spite of the large number already in the industry, this past spring the industry was short 90,000 qualified workers.

What course are you most looking forward to teaching in this program?

All the field work. I love working outside. There is a lot of time spent out in the gas utility field working on equipment, installation of gas facilities, and fusing.

What do you feel is the biggest skill students will take away from this program?

The utility industry is a family. We work together to accomplish the tasks in a safe manner. Safety is the most important skill in our industry.

What makes this program unique?

We have local gas companies and international companies that are partnering with us to bring this program to CVTC. Most of the learning and eventual work in the industry will be outside. Included in this specialized training will be digging by hand; using various excavation equipment, including backhoe and compact excavator, utility plows, utility trenchers, pneumatic piercing tools, jackhammers, and fusing equipment; installing and maintaining metering equipment and pressurization equipment; and dealing with customers.

What makes this program challenging?

This is a highly regulated industry. There is a fair amount to learn, but we will go through it and apply it together. Our students will come out of the program knowing how to be safe in this industry. They will also learn how to keep the public safe when dealing with natural gas.

How will this program impact the Chippewa Valley?

There are companies in the Eau Claire area that are planning to hire over 20 people in this industry next year. Including the surrounding area extending over to Minnesota, there are plans to hire over 80 people.  

What is your experience in the field?

I recently retired from a 29 year career at Xcel Energy (formerly NSP) in Menomonie, Wisconsin. I spent most of my career at Xcel Energy working in the field on both the gas and electric sides of the company. I did gas and electric locating, gas and electric metering, gas compliance, and gas trouble (leak/odor calls).

Anything else you’d like to say?

My goal is to help every student who joins this program be a successful and safe gas industry employee. I will do what I can to help them succeed! I have made it 29 years accident free thus far, and this industry has been fantastic for me and my family. I hope to pass along that success to all who enter our classrooms and labs.

You may remember this time last year that we wrote a blog about the up-and-coming Culinary Management program. Now as the inaugural semester comes to a close, we are bringing it full circle! From judging our Noodle Bowl last spring to their new Thursday pop-ups, the program’s first semester is proving to be nothing less than a sweet and savory success. We checked in with head chefs Jonathon Fike and Kevin Brown to get their hot take on their first semester. We happened to stop in on bread-making day, so we really got to see students do what they dough…

As mentioned, the Culinary Management program started in August and is primarily held in the brand new, high-tech kitchen located in the Business Education Center. Chefs Jonathon and Kevin are the primary instructors and alternate between lecture and lab-style teaching (with students working in the kitchen roughly 80% of the time.) The culinary kitchen provides the chefs-in-training with everything from a spice rack to a walk-in freezer and allows them to truly get a commercial kitchen feel. On the day we shadowed, students were baking in the kitchen from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., followed by a short break and a 90-minute lecture. With roughly 25 students in the kitchen making Challah bread, there was hardly a dull moment.

We chatted with Chef Kevin about the program and how he feels about the first semester as it comes to a close. With over 10 years in the food business, he said he enjoys watching students at every level work to hone their cooking skills and learn the importance of working together as a team. Chef Kevin said he works with students in their first and fourth semesters in the program, whereas Chef Jonathon works with students in their second and third semesters. Both chefs intend to focus on a variety of cooking styles each semester. From onion chopping to bread baking, they want to make sure students are getting a comprehensive understanding of what it means to work in a kitchen.  

One student in particular, Su Blecha, told us about her time in the program so far. After years of working in a kitchen, she enjoys learning how to do things “the right way.” Su said working with her co-chefs has inspired her and challenged her to focus on not just doing things the fast way, but with the proper technique. After graduating from the program, Su hopes she can use her refined cooking skills to go into the food truck industry and start giving back to the community. She’s also looking forward to participating in Student Central’s second annual Noodle Bowl in April, saying, “this year I’m going to do it right!” We can’t wait to see what she cooks up!

As for the future of the program, Chef Kevin said the highly anticipated on-campus restaurant, 620 West, will open once the students get more experience in the industry. He said he wants students to feel confident about working at the restaurant and believes that will come with time. The restaurant will function as a capstone project and will feature their themed dishes. Chef Kevin said he will act as the front manager and Chef Jonathon will be managing the kitchen. 620 West will even have a fully stocked bar, so… need we say more? 

While the date for the grand opening is still undetermined, students, staff, and even community members are encouraged to take advantage of the monthly pop-ups put on by the program. Whether it’s hot sandwiches or homemade pie and ice cream, we in Student Central can confirm the pop-up cuisine is worth every penny.

If you haven’t had the chance to see the new Culinary Management classroom and kitchen, we highly recommend you stop by their headquarters in the Business Education Center. You can even watch students cooking live on the TVs in the hall! We want to thank Chef Kevin, Chef Jonathon, Su, and all the culinary students for allowing us to be part of their Challah creations.