CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — Much of the medical staff at Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center in Bartow County is home-grown. They’d like the next generation of nurses to do likewise.
“Ultimately and hopefully---it results in them joining us in the local community. We’ve heard from so many that they want to stay local,” Medical Center CEO Lori Rakes said.
A deal was signed to do it Thursday. A pact between the hospital, Georgia Highlands College, and Cartersville City Schools.
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“The more we can all pull in the same direction and expose kids early on----the better,” schools Superintendent Marc Feuerbach said.
It’s a program called the Pre-Healthcare Pathway. Students at Cartersville High will be able to take college level nursing courses at Georgia Highlands, and get hands-on training at the hospital.
“They’ll come straight out of high school, ready to enter directly into the nursing program, which eliminates a year of their training,” college Dean Jason Christian said.
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The ongoing national shortage of nurses is a serious issue, and they plan to address it around here with familiar faces.
“Eight-five percent of our graduates stay right here in northwest Georgia, and when I go to the hospital or take somebody there, I’m going to see Georgia Highlands graduates,” College President Dr. Mike Hobbs said.
The first class will consist of the top 25 students, eventually up to 50 each year.
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