DSCC Receives Over $1.2 Million In Rural Postsecondary Education and Economic Development Program Grant
The U.S. Department of Education announced that Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC) recently received the Rural Postsecondary Education and Economic Development (RPED) program grant. The RPED grant will assist DSCC in launching its new Surgical Technology program at the Jimmy Naifeh Center in Covington, TN. DSCC received funding for three years for a total of $1,237,431 in federal funding to support the development of the surgical technology program.
“We are grateful to receive the RPED grant to build the new Surgical Technology program at the JNC. So many of our healthcare employers indicated there was a need for surgical technologists in our service area, and we are thrilled to be able to help fill that void,” stated DSCC President Dr. Scott Cook. The funds provided will assist in developing the program, hiring new faculty and staff, purchasing supplies for the program, begin the accreditation process and overall operations. The federal funds received will fund 100% of program costs initially, and DSCC will begin absorbing a percentage of program costs in years two and three.
In addition to a need in our service area, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) requires that surgical technology certifications be awarded to students who have earned an Associate Degree (CAAHEP, 2021). Currently, in Tennessee, the certified surgical technology program is a 12-month diploma certification offered by the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT). The TCATs are not authorized to award associate degrees; however, an exception was granted for TCAT Crossville and TCAT Knoxville in East Tennessee to offer an Associate of Occupational Technology (AOT). As a result, there are no TCATs in West Tennessee with the approved Associate degree program. DSCC will launch the surgical technology program in the fall of 2023.
“With the new criteria for an associate’s degree in the surgical technology field, DSCC will increase access to students in West Tennessee by creating the surgical technology program to receive the required credentials needed for this in-demand, high-wage field,” stated Vice President of the College, Dr. Jan Reid-Bunch.
Amy Johnson, Dean of Nursing, will serve as our Project Director for the RPED grant. Students interested in learning more about the new Surgical Technology program scheduled to launch in Fall 2023 should contact Dean Johnson at 731-288-3390 or ajohnson@dscc.edu.