CCV and SVMC Partner on I.T. Program

Community College of Vermont students Dee Oaks (left) and Jonathan Girdzis (right) finish an 8-week program for those interested in information systems technology offered at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

BENNINGTON, VT—November 22, 2019—Several Community College of Vermont (CCV) students have been coming to learn within the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) Information Systems Department Tuesdays for the past 8 weeks.

Gail Balch, the director of the Information Systems Department at SVMC, said, “Every job requires some interaction with information technology. This program raises awareness of the need for these skills, particularly in a hospital setting. I hope it will empower the students with the knowledge that you can make a living locally doing something important and interesting.”

Students have worked within each of the four divisions of the department, including as helpdesk techs, in telecommunications, cybersecurity, and programming.

Jonathan Girdzis, who has attended many of the sessions, likes the format. “You get to learn something different each time.”

Darcy Oaks, a coordinator of student advising at CCV, appreciates the partnership.

“Students place a high value on internship experiences; the opportunity for a work place externship at our region’s largest employer in a non-clinical role is unique. I’m thrilled to continue in this partnership next semester.”

For student Dee Oaks, this was an opportunity to reconnect with a high school interest in computers and technology while enrolled both at CCV and the University of Vermont (UVM). He had been a social work student at Southern Vermont College and will be continuing on to University of Vermont full time next semester.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices. For more information, visit svhealthcare.org.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.

Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.