Many adjunct faculty members at Quinebaug Valley Community College bring years of work experience and the latest expertise to the classroom, most often to specialized programs such as allied health, computer science, and manufacturing.
One of those adjuncts also shares his skills with the community – mostly as a volunteer.
Jon Gorman, who teaches Basic Life Support at QVCC, is a nurse at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge who has worked in health care for 35 years. In addition, he works tirelessly as a volunteer trainer of CPR at many community events, schools, and other venues.
“My passion is for education for everyone, from health care providers to members of the community,” he explains. “After my father died of a sudden cardiac arrest early in my nursing career, I wanted as many people as possible to know what to do if the event ever happened to them.” Gorman has been teaching CPR and other advanced courses for close to 20 years.
Due to the costs for CPR classes, he started reaching out to the community and teaching Hands Only CPR in conjunction with the American Heart Association. Earlier in September he and the Harrington team offered Hands Only CPR training to attendees at the Eastern States Exposition Fair in West Springfield. He will spend Columbus Day weekend certifying people at Old Sturbridge Village.
Gorman was recently honored by the New England Regional Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) Committee at its meeting in Manchester, NH. He was presented the 2016-17 Outstanding Volunteer Award for having trained more than 3,500 people in Hands Only CPR during the year.
Gorman is enjoying his first semester at QVCC. “The teaching experience has been wonderful,” he says. “It is always a joy to teach individuals who want to learn!” QVCC students are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from an adjunct faculty such as Jon Gorman.
Photo L to R: Ray Barry, ECC Chairman; Gorman; Michael Smith, Director-ECC Network Relations
Released: Sept. 27, 2017