Bringing a dream to life in the United States
As a young girl growing up in Jordan, Zubaida Imsaitif aspired to work in a big hospital helping others. She endeavored to attain her goal over the years in her homeland. But, after moving to the United States, she hit a setback she hadn’t expected.
“My degrees in the medical field from Jordon didn’t give me the credentials I needed to work in the U.S.,” Imsaitif disclosed. Frustrated, but not deterred, she began to research her options. “When I learned about the surgical technology program at Washtenaw Community College, I knew just where I needed to go to get the opportunity to work with surgeons and nurses in the operating room.”
She promptly applied to WCC at the age of 33 to make her dream come to life in her new country. Now in her final semester, she is finishing up her clinicals and planning her next big adventure: transferring to finish out her bachelor’s degree.
“I’m not sure where I want to attend,” she admitted, “but I know I want to go into health sciences in some aspect. That’s one of the reasons I love the WCC surgical technology program so much: it transfers to colleges and universities.”
Firsthand experience
Another key component of the program at WCC that Imsaitif loves: the fully functional lab. “It looks and acts just like a real operating room,” she said. The lab, located on WCC’s campus, lets students experience an operating room setting first hand before ever stepping foot into a hospital. It also allows students to become familiar with a clinical setting.
“Being in an operating room can be stressful,” Imsaitif said. “But I learned how to work with that stress. I got the chance to feel what the pressure of an operating room is like, and I had everything we needed to practice right there in the lab. WCC gave me so much confidence about working in this field.”
Surgical technologists provide care to patients in the operating room, during and after surgery, and act as an integral part of the surgical team. Students in this program must be well grounded in the basic sciences, especially anatomy, microbiology and pathophysiology. The surgical technologist contributes to patient care by serving as a team member who monitors the environment.
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredits the Surgical Technologist program at Washtenaw Community College.
Learn more at wccnet.edu