South Suburban College recognizes Radiologic Technology cohort at 2024-2025 pinning ceremony

On Tuesday, December 9, South Suburban College (SSC) celebrated a special pinning ceremony to honor the accomplishments of the 2024-2025 Radiologic Technology cohort. The event took place in the Kindig Performing Arts Center and included students who continued their education at SSC after being displaced following the sudden closure of Northwestern College.

While it has been a unique situation for many of the students, this ceremony is an opportunity to recognize their resilience and academic progress. Radiologic Technology and MRI Programs Coordinator Kimberly Marks noticed the closing at Northwestern, and immediately wanted to help out the students who were most of the way through their program. Now that these students get to celebrate their achievement, it’s a decision she doesn’t regret one bit.

“When we found out about the closing, I reached out on LinkedIn about these Northwestern students in that cohort and now we get to celebrate some of them today,” Marks said. “I’m really proud of these guys. Even some of our students had some challenges, both internally and externally, but we made it work.”

Following the abrupt shutdown of Northwestern College, SSC opened its doors to the students in Radiologic Technology who were impacted. It’s a priority for the SSC to ensure that their facility can welcome students to continue their academic progress without interruption.

At SSC, the Radiologic Technology Program is approved by the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The program is a full-time opportunity for students to receive a comprehensive education as entry-level radiologic technologists. The program blends theoretical instruction, hands-on training, and supervised clinical experiences to teach students about technical proficiency, critical thinking skills, and a patient-centered approach needed for the medical imaging field.

Clinical education takes place at affiliated healthcare facilities assigned by program leadership to ensure that these students can walk away with a real-world experience in a wide range of medical environments.

Dr. Megan Hughes, Dean of Allied Health and Career Programs, noted that the program covers many facets in clinical education.

“The whole program leads up to the clinical experience so they can work in area hospitals,” Hughes said. “The Northwestern students were excellent students with great reputations at their clinical sites.  Because of that, many of their clinical sites were willing to continue working with them at a new college. For a lot of our students, those clinical sites lead to employment. It prepares them for their licensure exam as well, and most of them are signed up already for their licensure exam. It will set them up really well for positions.”

The Radiographic Technology degree helps students receive certification, granted by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists after a successful completion of the national board examination. Once students complete the national exam, they are able to apply for licensure with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

“It’s a powerful thing that these students are willing to do and put in the work for,” Hughes said. “For some of them, closing the doors could have been devastating, especially for how expensive it can be. They could have become disheartened, but they didn’t and we’re incredibly proud.”

From dedicated faculty support to possessing a commitment towards the success of the students, the displaced students were able to complete all of their program requirements and receive this educational milestone. Regardless of how the road was created to get to this point, these students will forever be a part of the SSC community.

“Their bravery, tenacity, and initiative to cross the finish line has been unbelievable,” Hughes said. “The Northwestern students to worked hard to finish their program and it’s wonderful to be able to have this ceremony to see this program recognize these amazing students today before they take the next step in their careers.”

As the graduates complete this program, they are now equipped to provide high-quality diagnostic imaging services, collaborate within interdisciplinary healthcare teams, and sustain the highest standards for patient care and ethical practice in this field.

For more information on South Suburban College, you can visit ssc.edu.