BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — A new summer program at Gardner-Webb University is giving high school students a hands-on look at health care careers, with hopes of inspiring them to stay and serve in their hometowns.
Funded by a $290,408 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation, the Summer Bridge program introduces rising 11th and 12th graders to fields like nursing and surgery through hands-on activities like simulations and interactive materials.
The program is part of a broader initiative to address critical health care staffing shortages in Cleveland County, which health experts designated both as a Medically Underserved Area and a Health Professional Shortage Area.
“We hope this bridge program will keep them here in Cleveland County,” said Jessica Ivey, associate professor and associate director for the Hunt School of Nursing at Gardner-Webb. “That’s where the need is, so we want these students to stay here and go on to be a health care professional here.”
The goal is to create a pipeline of young professionals trained and ready to serve in high-need rural communities.
“Being in a rural community, we need different providers in different areas and specialties,” said Angel Queen, assistant professor and pre-licensure chair at Gardner-Webb. “It’s so important we foster these young students and expose them to all the different avenues they can do, so we can feed back into our own community.”
Students like Tristan Ballard and Caroline Sparrow, both rising 11th graders at Kings Mountain High School, practiced surgical techniques and learned about different career pathways during the program.
“Being here shows you a lot of options,” Ballard said.
“Pushes me to want to do more,” Sparrow said.
Golden LEAF also awarded grants to Cleveland County Schools and Cleveland Community College, bringing the total investment in local health care education pathways to more than $1.2 million.