Stephanie (Dolberg) Cannon first stepped onto the Omaha campus of UNMC
on Aug. 10.
One day later, the Morrill, Neb., resident received her diploma from
the university. She completed her bachelor of science degree in Radiation
Science Technology from UNMC without ever coming to UNMCs Omaha campus.
The faculty at UNMC have gone out of their way to make this a possibility
for me, Cannon said. Im excited about the new opportunities that this
degree will provide for me.
Cannon earned her bachelors degree while working full time and living
in her hometown in western Nebraska. She completed the Computed Tomography
and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CT/MRI) program, one of several advanced
certification programs offered by the Division of Radiation Science Technology
Education at UNMC and the first to offer a distance learning opportunity.
Their programs include Radiography, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiation
Therapy, Diagnostic Medical Sonography (Ultrasound), CT/MRI, and Cardiovascular
Interventional Technology (CVIT).
James Temme, director of radiation science education at UNMC, said providing
more distance-learning opportunities for students throughout the state
is a long-term goal of the division.
We feel that its important to provide these opportunities for the
citizens throughout the state, so that theyre able to stay in their communities
and still receive the same education as if they were in Omaha, Temme said.
There is a very real need out there because of the acute shortage of diagnostic
imaging technologists and radiation therapists. This is part of our
attempt to help reduce that shortage.
A 1996 graduate of Morrill High School, Cannon said it had been a longtime
goal to receive a bachelors degree. She earned an associates degree
from Western Nebraska Community College upon completion of the radiologic
technology program at Regional West Medical Center (RWMC) in Scottsbluff,
after which she was hired as a radiologic technologist at RWMC.
Still, she enjoyed performing CT scans and MRI exams, and wanted to
get more training in those areas. There was one catch: No place around
Scottsbluff offered the training, and Cannon didnt want to leave her family
or her then-boyfriend Chris Cannon, a horse trainer who had recently moved
back to the area from Texas.
When he came back from Texas, we decided that we didnt want to have
any more of the long-distance relationship stuff, Stephanie Cannon said.
The couple married in the summer of 2000.
But Cannon was presented with another option to attain her bachelors
degree. The UNMC radiation science division had found ways to utilize
the distance-learning infrastructure that already existed in the state.
The two-way communication satellite system, along with the development
of UNMC courses on the Internet and a qualified preceptor in Scottsbluff,
helped to persuade officials to give Cannon an opportunity through the
long-distance degree program.
Cannon said interacting with faculty members 500 miles away was difficult,
initially.
At first, it was kind of nerve-wracking, she said. The short delay
sometimes made it difficult to offer my input, but it got much better once
the professors and I became more comfortable with it Its not like being
in a classroom, but its a lot better than the course being on videotape.
Cannons program, which is designed to take a year once all other prerequisites
are completed, took her two years to complete from Scottsbluff, as she
continued to work full time in the radiology department at RWMC.
Dan Gilbert, the program director of the School of Radiologic Technology
at Regional West in Scottsbluff, served as Cannons preceptor during the
program. Gilbert, certified in CT and MRI as well as Radiography,
CVIT, and Quality Management, provided the clinical instruction Stephanie
needed as well as collaborating with UNMCs CT/MRI Education Coordinator,
Adam Stevens, to provide her didactic instruction.
We couldnt have done this without Dan Gilberts assistance, said
Karen Nichols, distance education coordinator for the School of Allied
Health Professions at UNMC. Having a local mentor was a key element
of Stephanies success. It is especially important for distance learning
in the clinical setting. Although we delivered much of Stephanies
coursework via distance from UNMC, Dan provided clinical and didactic instruction
on site.
Said Stevens: Dan was wonderful to work with, and Stephanie deserves
tremendous credit, as well. She was very patient and understanding as we
worked out some of the kinks in the system, and she was always dedicated
and hard-working. It was a tremendous pleasure to watch her receive her
diploma on Saturday.
Nichols has been working primarily with the radiation science programs,
and said she would like to eventually see all the advanced radiation science
modalities offered in Scottsbluff that are offered now in Omaha.
Students who receive their education in the rural setting are more
likely to continue working there after graduation, Nichols said. Nebraska
provides us with many challenges in that regard and the shortage of technologists
demands our attention. Working with RWMC is a good start at addressing
these needs.
In about a month, UNMC faculty will start working toward that goal
when they travel to Scottsbluff to meet with representatives of the Regional
West Medical Center. They are planning to begin a long-distance radiation
therapy program in Scottsbluff in 2002.
Temme said distance learning is an important avenue for the university
to pursue.
This is a trend in the industry, and we want to be one of the leaders
for distance education, he said. We wouldnt be able to do this without
a dedicated staff and the infrastructure that exists.
He said that UNMCs bachelors degree program makes the radiation science
technologists a more well-rounded patient-care provider and enhances the
competency of the graduate.
For Cannon, the bachelors degree not only fulfills a goal, but also
makes her more marketable.
With the training, Im a valuable commodity for any employer, she
said. I could get a job anywhere I want to go.