A special celebration was held April 20 to honor graduates of Southern State Community College’s medical assisting and allied health programs. Eighteen of the 28 graduates from the medical assisting, phlebotomy technician, billing and coding specialist and pharmacy technician programs attended.
A representative from each program was chosen to offer thoughts regarding their experiences, including Zachary Rumer from the pharmacy technician program, Sarah Zindorf from the phlebotomy technician program, Tracee Campbell from the billing and coding program and Pamela Ballein from the medical assisting program.
Medical Assisting
The two-year Medical Assisting program at Southern State began in 1979 and has seen more than 500 students obtain their Associate of Applied Science degrees in Medical Assisting. The 2016 graduating class includes: from Highland County, Pamela Ballein of Hillsboro, Sarina Brioli of Hillsboro, Courtney Brown of Greenfield, Bethany Campbell of Hillsboro, and Tami Ferris of Hillsboro; from Clinton County, Kinsey Coleman of Wilmington, Kristen Dallas of Wilmington, and Jennifer Harris of Wilmington; from Brown County, Lynann Simpson of Sardinia, and Susan Sharp of Georgetown; and from Clermont County, Taylor Stiens of Batavia. Kinsey Coleman was recognized for excellent academic achievement, graduating summa cum laude with a cumulative GPA of 4.0.
Phlebotomy
The one-year Phlebotomy program began in 2006 at Southern State and has seen more than 159 students obtain their Phlebotomy certificates. The 2016 graduating class includes: from Highland County, Bethany Campbell of Hillsboro, and Bethany Music of Hillsboro; from Brown County, Jackilynn McGee from Mt. Orab; from Adams County, Cindy Tolle of Winchester; from Clinton County, Amanda Walker from Martinsville, and Sarah Zindorf of Wilmington; and from Greene County, DeAnna Williams of Jamestown. DeAnna Williams was recognized for excellent academic achievement, graduating magna cum laude with a cumulative GPA of 3.66.
Billing and Coding
Since Southern State’s program began in 2009, more than 80 graduates have received a Billing and Coding Specialist certificate. The 2016 graduating class includes: from Highland County, Sarina Brioli of Hillsboro, and Amanda Lyons of Hillsboro; from Clinton County, Kinsey Coleman of Wilmington, Sandra Godlove of New Vienna, and Ashton Pruitt of New Vienna; from Brown County, Tracee Campbell of Mt. Orab, Ernie Campbell of Mt. Orab, Amy Egbert of Sardinia, Melody Shaffer of Georgetown, and Lynann Simpson of Sardinia; and from Clermont County, Taylor Stiens of Batavia. Melody Shaffer was recognized for excellent academic achievement, graduating summa cum laude with a cumulative GPA of 4.0.
Pharmacy Technician
More than 80 students have received their Pharmacy Technician certificates since the program began at Southern State in 2006. The 2016 graduating class includes: from Highland County, Shawn Brown of Seaman, and Zachary Rumer of Leesburg; from Clinton County, Brandi Loury of New Vienna; and from Brown County, Jessica Roehm of Bethel. Brandi Loury was recognized for excellent achievement, graduating summa cum laude with a cumulative GPA of 4.0.
More information
To learn more about the Medical Assisting and Allied Health programs at Southern State Community College, contact Rhonda Davis at 1-800-628-7722, ext. 2639, or rdavis@sscc.edu, or Stephanie Roush at 1-800-628-7722, ext. 2739, or sroush8@sscc.edu. Information also can be found at www.sscc.edu/academics/departments/health-sciences.shtml.
Article submitted by Kris Cross, SSCC Director of Public Relations.
