Randolph Community College has received a $10,000 grant from the North Carolina Area Health Education Center Program to establish a clinical site at Kindred Hospital in Greensboro for RCC's Associate Degree Nursing program. The mission of the North Carolina AHEC Program is to meet the state's health and health workforce needs by providing educational programs in partnership with academic institutions, health care agencies, and other organizations committed to improving the health of the people of North Carolina.
Other clinical sites used by RCC students provide exceptional learning experiences in medical/surgical nursing, said Cieanna Hairston, division chair for Health Sciences and Public Service Division at RCC, "but they do not provide specialization in complex medical disorders that sufficiently support the needs of our students. Practicing at Kindred Hospital would allow our students to participate in a coordinated, interdisciplinary team approach while providing intense nursing care."
RCC's senior-level nursing students attending clinical at Kindred will be enrolled in Health Systems Concepts (fall) and Complex Health Concepts (spring) courses. It is anticipated that 25 students will utilize the site for 15 days during the fall and spring semesters. Students will gain experience with interdisciplinary care for patients who have pulmonary disease, neuromuscular disease, pressure wounds, chemotherapy, and ventilators.
"Due to the complexity of the medical conditions, the students would collaborate with the other team members, as well as participate in patient care conferencing," said Hairston. "This will provide a richer clinical experience for the students. Kindred staff will benefit from the assistance provided by the students, while also sharing their expertise through the teaching element of the partnership. Educational outcomes achieved at this site will include enhanced critical thinking skills and learned concepts as they apply theory to practice with patients who are more critically ill than typical patients served at our local hospital."
The funding provides for faculty salaries and educational materials, equipment, and supplies needed at Kindred Hospital.
For more information on Randolph Community College's Associate Degree Nursing program, visit RCC's website at www.randoph.edu.
