INA – Four students got up close and personal with their chosen health profession, thanks to the Rural Health Experience program, sponsored by the South Central Illinois Area Health Education Center (SCI-AHEC) and hosted at four local hospitals.

The Rural Health Experience program is a three- to five-day immersion program wherein students shadow health professionals and others in a rural area. It is intended for college, graduate, or professional-level students in their first or second year in a health profession program to learn about the health care system in a rural community. The local hospitals serve as host sites for the students, connecting them to various health care organizations during their study.

Washington County Hospital in Nashville hosted Mariah Sisson of Virden. Sisson is currently enrolled in the RMED (Rural Medical Education) program at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine. Also enrolled in U of I, College of Medicine’s RMED program is Cameron Overcash of Ottawa. Overcash attended the Rural Health Experience program at Pana Community Hospital in Pana.

“Although I myself might not be making home care visits in the future, I now have a newfound respect for these dedicated nurses who do make these visits,” said Overcash of his time at Pana Community Hospital. “I don’t think I would have ever known exactly what these nurses do if it wasn’t for this opportunity.”

Crawford Memorial Hospital in Robinson hosted Linda Nystrom of Western Springs. Nystrom is currently enrolled in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at North Park University in Chicago.

Kelly Kyle of Crawfordsville, Ind., attended the Rural Health Experience program at St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia. Kyle is currently enrolled in the PA (Physician’s Assistant) program at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind.

Of her experience, Kyle said, “I not only got to experience the overall ideal of what it took for the hospital to run, but I also began to complete the puzzle of the many roles and responsibilities of each health care team member who I had the privilege of shadowing.”

For more information about SCI-AHEC or the Rural Health Experience program, contact Kelli Stover at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1280 or stoverk@rlc.edu.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake invites you to attend this week’s Environmental Science Series program to be held in the Rend Lake Visitor Center on Saturday August 2.

“Hands-on Science Fun” will be presented by The Science Center of Southern Illinois. Join us at 11:00 a.m. when we will be investigating volcanoes. We will be making a volcano and then watch as we make it erupt! At 2:00 p.m. we will be having some fun with “messy science!” Be sure to wear appropriate clothing as we make our own version of slime.
“Hands-on Science Fun” is another of the programs in the continuing, summer-long Environmental Science Series programs. These programs are held each Saturday from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, are presented free of charge, and are suitable for all ages.
For more information call the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center at 618-724-2493.

INA, Ill. – The whole family is invited to spend the day at Rend Lake College for the first Warrior Fest this fall. The event, scheduled for Oct. 18, will feature a car show, flea market, and tons of children’s events across the Ina campus.

Flea Market

To kick off the day’s activities at 9 a.m. will be the flea market. Craft and flea market vendors are welcome to register for the event, which will be held in the west parking lot on the Ina campus. Registration forms will be available online Aug. 1 and can also be picked up at the RLC MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon.

Spots at the flea market are $10 each for a 12-by-12 foot space. The flea market will end at 3 p.m. For more information about the flea market, contact Whitney Chaudoin at 618-244-9525, Ext. 2000 or chaudoinw@rlc.edu.

Children’s Activities

Headlining the children’s activities will be the annual Big Truck Day, hosted by the RLC Foundation Children’s Center in the west parking lot.

The event is being held from 9 a.m. until noon and will feature an open house, a petting zoo with the Franklin County Ag in the Classroom representative, several inflatables, and many big trucks. Center Director Brooke May said they already have a number of big trucks, heavy equipment, and machinery committed to the event, and more are expected to be on hand.

“We are really excited about this year’s Big Truck Day and being a part of Warrior Fest,” said May. “The amount of people who will be here will be incredible and we can’t wait to show off our Children’s Center. This is a hands-on experience, so we encourage the children to talk to the drivers or operators of the equipment and climb up to see what it is really like inside the machines.”

During Big Truck Day, parents will also have a great opportunity to meet the center’s teachers and staff, and pre-register for child care in the spring. A silent auction will fill the hallways of the Children’s Center to raise money for new playground equipment, and door prizes will be available for those in attendance. The RLCF Children’s Center has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children for more than a decade.

For additional information about the children’s events or Big Truck Day, contact May at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1393 or mayb@rlc.edu.

Car Show

The last big event, the car show, will begin at 10 a.m. in the east parking lot. Registration for the show costs $10 and will be done the morning of the event. Dash plaques will also be available for the first 125 participants.

The official judging of the cars will begin at 11 a.m. and participants will be eligible to win one of several awards: Best of Show, President’s Choice, Best Car, Best Truck, Best Ford, Best Mopar, Best GM, Best Paint, Best Motor, Best Interior, Most Original, Top 10 from 1982 and newer and Top 20 from 1981 and older. Photos of the car and owners will be taken by RLC between noon and 2 p.m.

Trophy presentations will begin at 2 p.m. in Warrior Way underneath the Academic Building. In addition to trophies, there will also be door prizes and event T-shirts for $10. Hot Rod Nights will emcee the show.

For more information about the car show, contact Nigel Thompson at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1806 or thompson@rlc.edu.

Other Activities

The fall-themed event will also feature hay rides, video gaming, hand and chair massages by the RLC Therapeutic Massage and Cosmetology programs, food and beverages provided by RLC Culinary Arts, and much more. More details about Warrior Fest will be provided soon.

For more information about Warrior Fest, contact Erin Morris at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1714 or morrise@rlc.edu.

INA, Ill. – There are plenty of career options in the ever-growing health care field, and one of the newest programs at Rend Lake College is kicking off the fall semester with plenty of enrollment opportunities.

The Health Information Technology (HIT) program prepares students for entry-level positions in a growing number of different health care fields. RLC’s two-year program provides students with the administrative and technical skills the need to maintain a variety of health record systems. Knowledge in medical, administrative, ethical, legal, accreditation and regulatory fields are all important pieces to the HIT program.

Health information technicians usually are employed in hospitals; however, career opportunities are growing in physicians’ practices, care groups, home health care settings, hospices, and long-term care facilities. Jobs are also growing in locations outside of the traditional health care field, such as insurance companies, accounting firms, consulting companies, law firms, prisons, and much more.

Kim Robert, RLC Dean of Allied Health, said the new classes this fall are available in face-to-face meetings or an online format for the student’s convenience.

“The Health Information Technology program is a great starting point for the student who wants to be in the health care field, but not in a hands-on way,” said Robert. “With some face-to-face classes and other online courses, the students at Rend Lake College have numerous opportunities to advance their education in this field. I’m looking for this profession to grow exponentially in the coming years.”

As the population continues to age, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests there will be an addition of more than 40,000 jobs for Health Information Technicians by 2022, bringing the number of HITs to more than 200,000 across the nation.

The program consists of 66 credit hours to be taken over four semesters. Fall classes start Aug. 18 and registration is open. For more information about the program or to register, contact the Allied Health Division at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1251, or robinsonb@rlc.edu.