PRCC surgical tech program to host open house

HATTIESBURG – The Pearl River Community College Surgical Technology program will observe Surgical Technologist Week Sept. 18 through 24.As part of the observance, details about the Debbie Hinton Memorial Scholarship will be announced. Hinton, who died June 8, 2011 at age 56, had chaired the surgical technology program at PRCC Forrest County Center since it began in 1992.Students in the program will set up displays at area hospitals on Monday, Sept. 19, to promote the profession and PRCC program.Fourteen students are enrolled in the program and will graduate in December.Some of them will go to area high schools on Tuesday, Sept. 20, to demonstrate surgical scrubs and instrumentation setups to allied health students.Also on Tuesday, the program will host an open house from 1 to 6 p.m. for surgeons, hospital staff and former, current and future students as well as the public to see the classroom and lab in the Allied Health Center. Students will be on hand to describe mock surgical setups, lab stations and demonstrations.Students will take baked goods to the program clinical sites on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in appreciation for the help and guidance they receive during clinical rotations.Tammy Allhoff is chairman of the program, assisted by instructor Amber Struppa.