Applying to college is a big decision with lots of important questions to ask yourself – Is this the right program for me? Is this the right school? Am I financially able to go to school? How I made my decision was by staying organized, reading everything carefully and thoroughly, and asking questions. The first step I took when applying for Stenberg’s Cardio Tech program was reading about what a Cardio tech was and making sure it seemed like something I was interested in pursuing as a career. I did a lot of research and contacted a cardio tech at my local hospital for more insight. Next, I read Stenberg’s admission requirements page to see if I met their requirements and what I might need to obtain for the school. After that, I called the school and talked to a Program Advisor for clarification on questions I had had and to move forward in the admission process.
Stenberg requires students to have specific marks for certain high school courses, to write an entrance examination, and to write a short essay for the admission process, all of which not an issue for me as I had already had 3 years of university under my belt. The one thing I had to prepare for was the phone interview because under pressure I stumble on my words and I tend to get nervous. Luckily, my program advisor, Christine, was very cheerful and had kind words for my responses which made me feel at ease and get through the interview with a breeze. At this point I was offered a Letter of Acceptance and moved forward into what I like to call ‘the printer phase’.
Once accepted I received a mountain of important documents that I suggest anyone taking this program should print and keep hard copies in a folder to stay organized and in case of accidental electronic loss. These documents include your contract, financial/funding information, and requirements for placement such as immunization forms, CPR requirements, and criminal record check details. Lots of these documents require your signature and many have very specific dates on when they can/need to be submitted. Reading and reviewing these documents multiple times allowed me to ask more questions to ensure that I fully understood what I was signing up for before paying. Once I finished with the documents I had nothing to do except wait for orientation week to begin.
Orientation week was done in two ways: in the online environment and a local face-to-face meet up. The first part of the week we were allowed to explore the online environment and given tools/assignments to teach us how to properly navigate the site, how to express ourselves effectively, and tools for learning. Luckily for me, my university used the same online environment (Moodle) for education so navigation was easy for me but connecting with classmates was difficult. In the online environment, all we have to express ourselves is our words and a name on a computer screen which doesn’t allow for great connectivity. This is why I think the face-to-face meet up at the end of the week was so beneficial and important. My face-to-face meet up was in Halifax and it included everyone from the Maritime Provinces including a Stenberg instructor/Registered Cardio. Tech named Jennifer. Putting a face and personality to some of my classmate’s names made me enjoy discussions more and made me more comfortable asking questions in class.
During the orientation we did skill building activities, played icebreaker games, discussed important documents, and answered questions that people still needed clarification on. Some of the most commonly asked questions were answered in our mountain of important documents which is why I think it is sooo important to carefully read and re-read those files. We also got the chance to hear about what we have to look forward to being a cardio tech from Jennifer who is a registered cardio tech and was a very professional yet a fun, enthusiastic person. I can’t express enough on how beneficial the in-person meet up was to my success so far in the program. I have communication outside the required discussions with my classmates regularly and never feel alone even though I am often alone working at home with the company of my cat –haha. Orientation week made me much more excited for the next steps of the program which I will be sharing with you shortly.
Check out a video of our cardio tech students in action.
![An ECG demonstrates the extensive antero-septal-lateral myocardial infarction [heart attack] that Taryn witnessed.](https://stenbergcollege.com/wp-content/smush-webp/2022/12/ecg-1024x530.jpg.webp)
