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Santa Ana College’s state-of-the-art Health Sciences building will fuel growing workforce demand

Anticipation is mounting as crews put the finishing touches on Santa Ana College’s new Health Sciences building, slated to open for the spring semester, which starts Feb. 12.

The state-of-the-art, 55,563-square-foot facility will house the programs of Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA), Bachelor of Science in Occupational Studies, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Pharmacy Technology and Medical Assistant.
The building features 20 classrooms, four computer labs, simulation labs, meeting rooms, faculty offices and collaborative spaces for students.

Administrators say the Health Sciences building will enable the college to provide for a workforce demand in these careers, which is anticipated to grow as much as 34% in Orange County between 2020 and 2030, according to projections from the U.S. Department of Labor.

“The state-of-the-art simulation labs, along with new computer facilities and classrooms, will provide excellent, hands-on training to our students and prepare them for expanding opportunities in the healthcare profession,” said Dr. Annebelle Nery, SAC president. “We serve about 40,000 students annually, and this new building, along with our faculty and staff, will help us fuel the local workforce.”

State-of-the-art 

Construction of the three-story Health Sciences building began in March 2021. The project is partially funded by Measure Q, a $198 million bond approved by voters in 2012, along with state and other local funds.

Highlights include:

• A 160-seat auditorium-style computer lab and a 166-seat stepped classroom designed with stadium seating that can serve as a lecture room
• Pharmacy Technology and Nursing Skills/Medical Assistant labs with 20 hospital-grade beds and headwalls that provide lifelike training and learning opportunities
• Four nursing simulation labs equipped with hi-tech mannequins, cameras and video displays that simulate patient/medical scenarios
• EMT lab equipped with an ambulance simulator and mannequins to offer a true pre-hospital experience

Real-life experience

Patrick Dibb, associate professor and Emergency Medical Technician program director, said the state-of-the-art equipment will be a boon to his program.

“All the equipment is new. We have new cardiac monitors that simulate exactly what’s being used in the field. The splints, the backboards, the gurneys — all new,” he said.

The ambulance simulator and mannequins will enable students to learn to perform assessments and treatments to stabilize patients on the way to the hospital.

“When we did pre-hospital care scenarios previously, I would have to mimic that,” Dibb said. “Now I can say, ‘You’re going to load the patient and do the rest of your assessment in the back of the ambulance. Show me what you’re going to do in the back on the way to the hospital.”

Growing demand

Demand for the 16-week Emergency Medical Technician program, which prepares students to take the National Registry EMT certifying examination, is huge, Dibb said. The job outlook appears to be growing as well. Data from the State of California Employment Development Department projects the workforce growth for EMTs and paramedics in the Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Irvine metropolitan district will skyrocket, from 2,030 jobs to 2,710 jobs between 2020 and 2030 – a 34% increase.

Demand in other health care fields is rising locally, too. During the same period, job growth for registered nurses is projected to increase by 16%, pharmacy technicians by 23% and medical assistants by 25%.

Dawn McKenna-Sallade, associate professor and program coordinator for Occupational Therapy Assistant and Occupational Studies, has seen a spike in interest in her program post-pandemic. She said the new Health Sciences building will effectively double her classroom space and triple the office space.

Space to grow

The OTA program admits two cohorts a year, in the fall and spring semesters. The additional space will allow for 30 students in the program per semester, an increase from the current 26. But the biggest benefit, McKenna-Sallade said, is having enough space for every student to practice what they’ve learned at the same time.

“We can have a group of students working on transfers from wheelchairs to bed and working on transfers from wheelchairs to shower equipment and the toilet all happening at the same time, where before there just wasn’t enough room in the classroom,” she said.

McKenna-Sallade notes that with an average salary of $63,000 annually with an associate or bachelor’s degree, demand is high for occupational therapy assistants. Overall employment in this field is projected to grow 23% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Grand opening tours

The Health Sciences building is located south of the existing library and north of the new Science Center and will be connected to the Science Center by a landscaped plaza.

The community and prospective students are invited to attend a Grand Opening celebration at 4 p.m. Jan. 10 and an Open House & Tour, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 11 and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 12. Click here to preregister for these events.