Mount Aloysius College and Penn Highlands Healthcare Partner on Surgical Tech Program

Mount Aloysius College and Penn Highlands Healthcare, DuBois, announced a new opportunity to pursue a career in surgical technology, providing incoming students with up to $44,000 in educational funding, hiring incentives and guaranteed employment at any Penn Highlands Healthcare hospital. The two-year program will feature a mix of online and in-person classes at Penn Highlands DuBois.

Mount Aloysius College will offer a $14,000 scholarship to all incoming surgical technology students in the DuBois-based program. Students are also eligible for up to $15,000 in educational funding from Penn Highlands Healthcare while enrolled, and up to $15,000 in signing bonuses upon hiring at Penn Highlands Healthcare.

"Our mission is to meet the needs of our community with quality programs of education. Penn Highlands Healthcare has expressed the need for surgical technologists, and through this collaboration, we will provide students a stellar education at very little cost," said John McKeegan, president of Mount Aloysius College.

"We are excited to create a professional pathway with Mount Aloysius College to create new educational opportunities and incentives for students seeking careers in surgical technology," said Heather Franci, MBHA, BSN, RN, chief nursing officer for Penn Highlands Healthcare and service line director for The Heart Center, The Lung Center, Brain & Spine and Oncology Services. "Together our partnership will further the students' education and training and provide them with a seamless transition as they provide care to our patients and communities."

Penn Highlands Healthcare was officially formed on September 30, 2011, and is comprised of seven hospitals – Penn Highlands Brookville, Penn Highlands Clearfield, Penn Highlands DuBois, Penn Highlands Elk, Penn Highlands Huntingdon, Penn Highlands Mon Valley and Penn Highlands Tyrone that have served area communities for the past 100+ years. Its business continuum also includes home care agencies, long-term care facilities and residential senior living communities.

Penn Highlands Healthcare has evolved into an organization with approximately 6,100+ workers in 150+ locations throughout 39 counties in Northwestern, Central and Southwestern Pennsylvania that include community medical buildings, outpatient facilities, surgery centers and physician practices. Providing exceptional quality care to the region, it has 740 physicians and 374 advanced practice providers on staff. The facilities have a total of 1,200 inpatient, skilled nursing and personal care beds. The system offers a wide range of care and treatments with specialty units that care for cancer, cardiovascular/thoracic, neurosurgery, pulmonology, neonatal and high-risk pregnancy patients. Being focused on what is important – patients and families – makes Penn Highlands Healthcare the best choice in the region.

Dating back to 1853, Mount Aloysius College is a private, not-for-profit institution located in Cresson, PA. Mount Aloysius offers more than 70 majors and programs and has an 11:1 student/faculty ratio. The College offers 16 NCAA Division-III men's and women's athletic programs.
This initiative is available to students who are starting their surgical technologist education in fall 2022. For more details, please visit www.mtaloy.edu/phh or call 814-886-6383.