Official SLCC Blog

Recently, SLCC's Health Science Respiratory Therapist Program received an important award from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC ), earning the Distinguished RRT Credentialing Success Award. Associate Dean for the Division of Allied Health, Angela Belnap, says, "This award is a big deal and a proud moment for everyone involved in the Respiratory Therapy program at Salt Lake Community College. It demonstrates how our faculty go above and beyond to prepare students for success in one of healthcare's most vital roles." The recognition received through CoARC confirms that SLCC is among a select group of programs that effectively prepare graduates for a successful career in respiratory therapy. Furthermore, it is a testament to the commitment of SLCC professors to helping students reach their educational and professional goals. The Respiratory Therapy program is a highly competitive program that provides students with classroom experience, as wel...

  The Community College was only one of five institutions to receive the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Grant, and the only community college. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s  Systems for Action (S4A) recently awarded Salt Lake Community College’s (SLCC) School of Health Sciences nearly $100,000 to study holistic admissions in health science education.   Only five awards were made across the entire nation this year through an S4A Call for Proposals to implement studies rigorously testing innovative approaches of helping medical, social and public health systems work together to dismantle systemic racism and address the health and social needs of people experiencing health inequities.   Holistic admissions help identify potential students who are not only academically strong but who also have important soft skills that are necessary in healthcare, such as responsive bedside manner, cultural competence, and the life experience to commit to a long ca...

SLCC Dental Hygiene Clinic With a generous grant from Intermountain, SLCC's Dental Hygiene students can now provide dental cleaning and x-rays to patients at no cost while gaining practical experience. This benefits the students by removing the stress of justifying the value of dental cleaning to their patients and providing the community with dental services without charge. The grant provides the students with an opportunity to serve the community better. “Our Dental Hygiene students have been known for fronting the charges for their patients, but now they are only focusing on providing the best quality care for them," says Associate Dean for the Division of Allied Health Dr. Angela Belnap. Every year, the program welcomes 24 new students who undergo a rigorous program. Dental hygiene students can be found outside the classroom doing clinical rotations or volunteering at health clinics, educating the community on the importance of oral health and screening for potential patie...

Dental Hygiene students who posted tobacco signage at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus On a frigid Saturday morning, Dental Hygiene students posted tobacco signage all over Jordan, South City and Taylorsville Redwood campuses to ensure that Salt Lake Community College is in regulation of the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA). “Some doors had signs, but they were not the correct ones. They did not include all the information, such as e-cigs, hookah and other information,” says Erin Allred, a second-year Dental Hygiene student. Surveying SLCC Campuses on Tobacco Signage Dental Hygiene students walking in front of the Constructions Trade Building It all started in the summer of 2022 when three dental hygiene students, Masina Brady, Erin Allred and Shaquel Sperry, signed up for a project. They partnered with the Salt Lake County Health Department and audited three of Salt Lake Community College campuses on their tobacco signage and found out that many of the signs were not up to date and ma...

Frances Samhammer (l-r), Kaitlyn Samhammer and Kathy Samhammer - three generations of nurses. The Samhammer family knows nursing. First there was “Nana,” Frances Samhammer, now 93, who raised a “ton” of kids (7 total), then in her 40s pursued a dream she held since she was a little girl – to become a registered nurse. Then there was Mom, Kathy Samhammer, who after three C-sections while having children decided she’d like to be a nurse. Now, along with a graduating class of about 100, Kaitlyn Samhammer, 25, has become the newest nurse in the family. “I’ve always been around nursing and seeing how they care for other people,” Kaitlyn says, gesturing toward her mom and grandmother. “It just made me want to be better and care for others, too.” Several graduates gather for a group photo. To be exact, there were 99 graduates who qualified to take part in the fall, 2019 pinning ceremony for newly minted nurses who completed Salt Lake Community College’...

Visitors to the new Healing Arts Lab learn about the labor and delivery room. It’s a typical day in the labor and delivery world, as a team of nurses checks on their patient in active labor.   “Victoria” seems to be resting comfortably, when she opens her eyes and tells everyone that her water just broke. Monitors in the room erupt in alarms as the fetal heart rate drops and the routine goes from simple to complex while the group works to change her position to bring the heart rate back into a safe range.   This is one of the many simulated scenarios that nursing students may experience in the new Healing Arts Lab at Salt Lake Community College’s Jordan Campus. A nursing student checks out a sim-mannequin in the pediatric room. The School of Health Sciences recently held an open house to welcome its new dean, Erica Wight, and celebrate the grand opening of the Healing Arts Lab.   The college community, PAC members and donors toured the new facilities to s...