Up & Coming Weekly

March 06, 2018

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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22 UCW MARCH 7-13, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM TERRY HERRING, FTCC Division Chair, Surgical Services. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. EDUCATION FTCC's surgical first assistants are 'physician extenders' by TERRY HERRING Fayetteville Technical Community College is excited to announce the start of the Surgical First As- sistant program starting this summer. Surgical First Assistants, or SFAs, are surgical "physician extenders." e Surgical First Assistant program of study allows hospital planning admin- istrators an opportunity to offer a staffing model that emphasizes better use of physician extenders – healthcare professionals credentialed to provide services under the direction of the surgeon. In the operating room, these physician extenders provide advanced support that scrub techs are unquali- fied to provide, which helps free up the surgeon's time to focus on tasks more appro- priate for the surgeon's level of medical training. Ulti- mately, the use of SFAs will facilitate surgeons' efforts and promote wise use of their time, leading to better quality of care with fewer resources along with better surgeon satisfaction and better care economics for the hospital. Recent news reports sug- gest that the demand for SFAs in the U.S. will continue to grow. e program will provide online didactic studies and a work- based learning clinical experience, which will allow candidates to continue their employment status. Many healthcare representatives realize the need to address a number of factors in order to provide better care and services in response to surgical patients' needs. Physician extenders like SFAs will be critical in helping healthcare get to that point. e SFA profession will only grow in volume and im- portance. e use of SFAs will provide the hospital's operating room leadership an opportunity to take a closer look at staffing models that will not only help meet patient demand but also increase efficiency and revenue opportunity for their organizations. Federal statistics project SFA jobs to increase 15 percent from 2014-2024 due to the increasing de- mand for surgical procedures, especially among the elderly population. If you enjoy helping others, want to have a fulfill- ing career in a professional healthcare environment and wish to create a positive difference through your career, email herringt@faytechcc.edu or call 910-678-8358 to learn more about the new Surgical First Assistant program of study at FTCC. You can also visit the campus or visit the school's website at faytechcc.edu for more details. Registration for Summer 2018 classes begins March 28. First Ses- sion Summer classes begin May 29. Students can receive enrollment and registration assistance at the Fayetteville campus, Spring Lake campus, and FTCC's Center at the Fort Bragg Training and Educa- tion Center. Surgical First Assistants provide advanced support that allows surgeons to focus on tasks more appropriate for the surgeon's level of medical training. John Hart's satisfying turn to the supernatural by D.G. MARTIN LITERATURE New York Times bestselling author John Hart, who grew up in Salisbury, North Carolina, is not afraid to take risks. In fact, he seems to thrive on these risks. For instance, he gave up his job as a stockbroker about 15 years ago to complete his first literary thriller. at risk-taking paid off when his book, "e King of Lies," became a Times bestseller in 2006. ree other successes followed: "Down River" (2007), "e Last Child" (2009) and "Iron House" (2011). en Hart risked his string of suc- cesses by moving with his wife and two young children from Greens- boro to Charlottesville, Virginia. Although the move disrupted his writing program temporarily, it finally led to "Redemption Road" (2016), a critical and commercial success. Quickly following is "e Hush," being released this month, which shows that Hart is fully back on track. e risk paid off in another important way. In Char- lottesville, Hart became friends with fellow writer John Grisham, who helped Hart launch the new book at a big fundraising event in Raleigh on Friday, Feb. 23. "e Hush" is another big risk for Hart because it breaks two significant traditions or rules of writing that have guided his prior work. First, until now, there have been no sequels to his books. Each was indepen- dent from the others. ey held together as a series only in their common geog- raphy. All took place in the real Rowan County or a fictional, but very similar, Raven County. "The Hush," however, is a real sequel to "The Last Child" (2009), a book Hart declares to be his favorite of all his prior books. "e Last Child" featured 13-year-old Johnny Merrimon, whose unrelenting search for his missing sister made him an admired but traumatized hero. e Johnny that readers meet in "e Hush" is 10 years older, still tough and determined, but now living alone and isolated on a 6,000-acre tract of swampland, which he loves and protects from outsiders. Hart says that "e Hush" stands on its own but that readers of "e Last Child" will have an enhanced experience. Hart still takes the small risk faced by every sequel writer that new readers may miss some impor- tant connective links from the earlier book. e second and greater risk that Hart takes with the new book involves the swampy land where Johnny lives. Johnny owns the 6,000 acres, but cash-wise, he is broke. His title to the land is being challenged by an African-American family who lived on the land for many years and whose claim is based on a deed from 1853. Johnny turns to his buddy Jack from "e Last Child" to help. Jack is a new lawyer in a large firm that discourages his connection to Johnny, especial- ly when Johnny is suspected in unexplained deaths on his property. e land has a troubling history and dangerous powers, inexplicable ones that become core features of the book and its ultimate resolution. In a word, think "supernatural." All of Hart's prior books have followed strict rules used by many mystery and thriller writers. e deaths and crimes in their books, when solved, have natural explanations and do not rely on the inter- vention of some spiritual or unreal power. Hart is betting that the richness of his characters, his compelling storytelling and the story's super- natural landscape will hold his thriller fans despite breaking his old rules. Taking this risk, he hopes, will expand his appeal and share his storytelling talent with an even wider audience. e complex and rich stories in "e Hush" and the book's supernatural but satisfying conclusion suggest that he is on the right track. D.G. MARTIN, Host of UNC's Book Watch. COMMENTS? Edi- tor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. "The Hush" breaks two sig- nificant rules of writing that guided Hart's prior work.

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