By Lesley DeVoss—

MUNCIE, Ind – Historically, colleges utilized cadavers to teach students about human anatomy, systems, and illnesses. Cadavers came with a unique set of issues. They require refrigerated storage units, each cadaver can only provide insight into its own unique physical structure, and they can only be autopsied once. With technology, these issues are a thing of the past.

Ivy Tech Community College Muncie-Henry County’s students now have access to an Anatomage Table, which houses hundreds of digital cadavers that can be dissected and examined endlessly. This technology revolutionizes the way students in nursing, health, and biology classes learn about the body and how it functions. Each cadaver is unique and includes historical data behind who they were and how they died.

“The Anatomage Table provides an excellent opportunity for our Health Science, Nursing and Anatomy and Physiology students to receive an unprecedented virtual look into the human body,” Lana Shoults, Department Chair of the School of Health Sciences, said.

Shoults attended Ivy Tech as a student and graduated in 1984 from the automotive service technician program. She worked at General Motors as an Experimental Engine Technician until she was laid off in 2004. She returned to Ivy Tech in 2006 and completed the surgical technology program, working as a Certified Surgical Technician at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital until 2012 when she was approached by Ivy Tech about a teaching position in the surgical technology program. Shoults was offered the position of program chair and is now the Department Chair of Health Sciences.

Shoults said, “I love my job here at Ivy Tech! Helping individuals to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to create a better life for themselves and their families is what Ivy Tech has helped me do, twice! I love being able to give back to the community.”

In the School of Health Sciences, students can pursue their associate’s degree in medical assisting, surgical technology, physical therapist assistant, and diagnostic medical sonography as well as healthcare specialist certifications in phlebotomy, pharmacy technician, central service technician, certified nursing assistant, and outpatient insurance billing and coding. The courses students attend support them in the knowledge, physical, and customer-centered skills they will need in their professional careers:

—Medical assisting students focus on patient care, venipuncture, electrocardiogram, vital signs, injections, medical coding, electronic charting, and medical records. Upon completion of the associate’s degree, students are eligible to sit for the Certified Medical Assistant certification exam. Students who earn an associate’s degree in medical assisting can earn $35,000 yearly. Medical assistants are in high-demand within private clinical settings, doctor’s offices, and hospitals.

—Surgical technology students learn how to assist in a surgical setting. At Ivy Tech Community College Muncie-Henry County, the surgical classroom is a set up as a functioning operating room and students learn through the use of modern surgical technology, instruments, and operations performed on medical mannequins. Along with the surgical suite, the students are able to access the Anatomage Table to see 3D representations of the human body which allows them to virtually view the different organs and systems they may work with in their future positions. The median pay for a surgical technician is $48,000 annually. Surgical technicians are in high demand with local hospitals.

—Physical therapist assisting students learn how to work with physically impaired individuals under the supervision of a physical therapist. Students will learn how the physical therapist determines appropriate therapeutic intervention and communication with the healthcare team in order to support their patients’ needs. Students who graduate from the physical therapist assistant program are eligible to complete the board exams and can enter the workforce immediately following the successful completion of those exams. The median pay for a physical therapy assistant is $48,000 annually. Physical therapist assistants are in high demand in physical therapy clinics, hospitals, and long-term care centers.

—Diagnostic medical sonography offers three different concentrations for the associate’s degree; cardiac, vascular, and general. The program is a selective admission program and students that are selected learn technique, exposure, positioning, protection, physics, patient care and ethics. Along with in-class learning, students enter clinical practice and supplemental instruction through accredited hospitals and clinics. The median pay for a sonographer is $68,000 annually. Upon graduation and successful completion of registry exams, diagnostic medical sonographers are in high-demand and employed by hospitals, clinics, imaging centers, and doctor’s offices.

—Healthcare specialist certification students are able to study a wide range of certification options, including dementia care, phlebotomy, pharmacy technician, certified nursing assistant (CNA), and outpatient insurance billing and coding. In completion of these certification programs, students receive hands-on clinical practice in healthcare settings, classroom, and lab time. Students who earn a certification in a healthcare specialist program can earn up to $40,000 annually. These certifications are in high-demand in long-term care centers, doctor’s offices, clinics, pharmacies, and hospitals.

John Kissick, the Program Chair for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program, said, “I enjoyed being a clinical preceptor for many student sonographers. This led to a passion for teaching and a desire to move from the clinical realm to academia. I look forward to seeing what the future holds and how far this wonderful program will grow in the years to come.”

Kissick worked in cardiac sonography for over 20 years before joining Ivy Tech Community College as the Program Chair for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program. During his time as a cardiac sonographer, Kissick served as a preceptor for student sonographers.

Thanks to the funding of the Ball Brothers Foundation’s collaborative partnership, Optimus Primary, Ivy Tech Community College introduced the new Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program in the fall of 2020. The program is a limited enrollment program that admits 10 students per cohort. Along with the Anatomage Table, the Diagnostic Medical Sonography is the newest addition to the Health Sciences Department.

To apply to Ivy Tech Community College Muncie-Henry County, visit them online at ivytech.edu/applynow. Classes start October 20.

About Ivy Tech Community College

Ivy Tech Community College serves communities across Indiana, providing world-class education and driving economic transformation. It is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering high-value degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its communities, along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.