Mount Nittany Health Professional and Organizational Development Team Provides Educational Opportunity to State College Area High School Students

Mount Nittany Health is fortunate to have incredible departments who go above and beyond for patients, and who continually make a positive difference in the Centre County community. This past May, Clinical Educators Dwain Pegues, RN; Pam Timlin, RN; and Lindsay Reiter, RN, Professional and Organizational Development, taught the American College of Surgeon’s “Stop the Bleed” course to a State College Area High School Nurses Aid class and a Health Occupation Professionals class, taught by Maryanne Neal. Dwain, Pam, and Lindsay were well-equipped to deliver this essential training as certified instructors for the course.

“Stop the Bleed” is an interactive class that educates participants on how to respond to bleeding injuries effectively. It equips individuals with the knowledge and skills to address life-threatening bleeding in various scenarios, such as accidents or disasters. The course covers techniques like wound packing and tourniquet application.

During the classes, Dwain, Pam, and Lindsay explained important techniques, and provided hands-on practice to the students who applied what they learned by practicing on mannequins. To simulate emergency situations where specialized materials are not readily available, the Professional and Organizational Development team demonstrated the use of everyday items like socks and shirts as wound-packing materials, and belts and ties as improvised tourniquets. The students eagerly participated, demonstrating their commitment to mastering these life-saving skills.

The feedback provided by the students was very positive, underscoring the impact of the class:

“It was a fun experience learning how to use materials that may be commonly on hand to stop bleeding because we won’t always have bandages on us.”

“I really enjoyed the educator’s style of teaching, as I am a more tactile learner, so to really have the ability to have a hands-on learning experience was very important to me.”

“Overall it was a great addition to the class. Even though I had already taken this class through EMT, it was a great reminder course, and I believe a good class for the rest of the students who may not know much about “Stop the Bleed.” They did a great job instructing and I had a fun time. I think it should be an annual thing for incoming classes and groups because it is a good public life skill. Thank you!”

“I thought the presentation was great; I liked how they executed the different methods. Even with my EMT training, they had a lot of new and different ideas that weren’t taught to me– like stuffing socks or a tie into the wound. Overall, it was very smart to teach younger audiences emergency responses like this so people are prepared…just in case.” 

“The Stop the Bleed training was very useful and a lot of fun! The proctors were excellent and very interactive with the students. I would definitely recommend that training to other people!”

“Super engaging and very informative. I enjoyed the models and quality of instruction.”

“I enjoyed the Stop the Bleed training. I liked how it was in person and it was hands-on training. I felt the lesson was more effective this way.”

Ms. Neal was grateful to have the Professional and Organizational Development team present the “Stop the Bleed” training to her class and expressed her utmost gratitude to Mount Nittany Health for being so actively engaged in the community.

Thank you Dwain, Pam, and Lindsay for your excellence and positively impacting the lives of students at State College Area High School. Their efforts teach essential skills to teenagers and enables them to become knowledgeable members of our community. By empowering them with the ability to respond effectively in an emergency situation, we are fostering a safer, and more prepared society, and contributing to Mount Nittany Health’s mission of “Healthier people, stronger community.”