VGCC Health Sciences programs receive “boot camp” grant
Vance-Granville Community College has been awarded a grant worth $8,260 from the North Carolina Community College System to hold a “boot camp” that will encourage young people to prepare for careers in health-care. From among 13 applicants, Health Sciences programs at VGCC and five other colleges were selected by the State Board of Community Colleges to receive similar grants, as part of more than $120,000 in funds provided by the federal College Access Challenge Grant Program.
The focus of the grant is on providing career awareness activities and classroom simulation to attract a diverse population, including disadvantaged students, to Health Sciences programs. Approximately 60 Vance County students in the eighth grade will be selected by their guidance counselors to participate in VGCC’s summer camp, which is scheduled to be held June 4-7, 2012. The middle school students will explore careers with the help of faculty and students from three VGCC programs: Associate Degree Nursing , Practical Nursing and Radiography . Participants will learn about the attributes they need to be successful while in college and on the job.
“This boot camp will be built on the foundation of the excellent working relationship that Vance-Granville already has with our local schools,” said Erica Jastrow, VGCC’s director of nursing. “College representatives frequently visit area schools to inform students and teachers about our programs. Area schools have especially asked that faculty from the Health Sciences division speak to their students about nursing and allied health careers.” Meanwhile, VGCC has gained experience from initiatives such as a week-long summer Science Camp for middle school students, which was held for the first time in 2011. “We are excited about being able to offer this new opportunity to local students, and we’re working on making it educational, motivational and fun,” said Angela Thomas, who heads the VGCC Radiography program.
To expose students to the nursing field, the boot camp will make use of VGCC’s unique simulation lab at Maria Parham Medical Center. The lab’s high-tech mannequins and other equipment allow students the opportunity to practice complex nursing care in a safe environment, which includes seven “patient” rooms, a birthing room, a medication room, an equipment room, a computer lab, two medication carts, a “code” response cart and a mobile computerized medication dispensing system. To learn about Radiography, students will use that program’s lab, located at VGCC’s South Campus in Creedmoor, which also boasts state-of-the-art digital x-ray equipment. “The young people who participate in this camp will find out about some extremely rewarding career paths, through unique hands-on experiences with our outstanding instructors and high-quality facilities,” said Dr. Ray Goldberg, VGCC’s Dean of Health Sciences. “The fact that they get to wear scrubs and use real medical equipment will engage them in the activities.”
For more information on VGCC’s Health Sciences programs, call (252) 738-3343.
