Marsha Eriks Promoted to Surgical Technician Program chair at Ivy Tech

Often there is a thrill associated with the unknown when entering college; the excitement of a new chapter of life unfolding to reveal new opportunities. Those were the sentiments of Marsha Eriks when she entered Ivy Tech Community College Northwest just over eleven years ago.

Eriks graduated from Ivy Tech in 1998 as a certified surgical technician. After 3 years with Porter Memorial Hospital she was hired by Ivy Tech as a clinical coordinator in the surgical technician program and was recently promoted to Surgical Technician Program Chair.

The surgical technician program is a two year program offered at Ivy Tech’s Valparaiso campus. Although the program is based in Valparaiso pre-requisites can be taken at any campus. For the past four years the college has achieved a 100% pass rate for the state certification exam. “I am proud to be part of Ivy Tech for the past eight and half years,” said Eriks. “It’s amazing how our program has grown.”

“Within the first eight weeks of classes students are taken to local hospitals to observe the job of a surgical technician. This provides them with a realistic look of what to expect once they’ve completed the program. “It’s important for a student to know if this is what they really want before investing a lot of time in a program only to find out it’s not a good fit,” explained Eriks.

Last semester, orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Aaron Anderson and Dr. Anthony Levenda came out to show our students drilling techniques. “We hope to continue to host outside experts to enhance our labs,” said Eriks.
“I believe there is always room to improve and enhance. I am dedicated to working hard with our program’s faculty and staff so we can continue to provide our students with a quality education.”

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually.  Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana.  It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.  It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.