East Georgia Regional Medical Center (EGRMC) now partners with Bulloch County Schools’ Career Technical & Agricultural Education (CTAE) program to offer certain high school students the opportunity to participate in clinical rotations at the hospital.
This school year 44 students from Southeast Bulloch High School were cleared to participate and take advantage of this valuable experience. Participating students are ones who had successfully completed the series of courses within Georgia’s Therapeutic Services – Allied Health career pathway.
“This is a special opportunity for our students, and we are very grateful to our partners, like EGRMC,” said Bethany Gilliam, director of CTAE for Bulloch County Schools.
As the semester and school year nears its end, East Georgia Regional hosted a special luncheon on May 6, for 41 of the students to honor their time at the hospital. It was also a time of celebration because each of these students had also passed the Therapeutic Services-Allied Health career pathway’s national end-of-pathway assessment, a 93 percent pass rate for the original cohort of 44. According to YouScience, the state pass rate for the test is about 53 percent. Those who are seniors also received a gold cord from the state and school district to recognize their academic achievement and to wear as part of their official graduation regalia during their school’s commencement.
“We are extraordinarily proud of these students,” said Elizabeth Hartley, the healthcare science instructor at Southeast Bulloch High School, who is also a registered nurse, certified emergency nurse, and a trauma certified registered nurse at East Georgia Regional.
Students who pass the end-of-pathway assessment also receive national certifications for healthcare field employees including OSHA-approved Bloodborne Pathogens for Healthcare Workers Certification and HIPAA Certificates. First steps as these students begin to pursue further education and careers in the healthcare field.
“East Georgia Regional is our largest Allied Health pathway partner,” said Hartley. “They provide both inpatient and outpatient settings for our students to observe. There are a total of 15 inpatient locations, such as the emergency room, intensive care unit, and medical surgical floor, in which students could scrub in and watch surgeries in the operating room. Additionally, they provide six different outpatient settings for students to view various medical office settings and imaging required for patient care.”
Bulloch County Schools collaborates with our community’s businesses and industry, like EGRMC, to help prepare students for success to be either enrolled, enlisted or employed. The school district currently has 30 career pathway programs in which high school, and some middle school, students may choose to participate, and more than 230 local business and industry partners who provide practical on-site work experiences for them. If you are a student, a parent, or business and industry leader who wants to know more about Bulloch County Schools’ workforce development programs, visit www.careerreadybulloch.org.
