Gardner-Webb College of Health Sciences and Community Partners Introduce High School Students to Healthcare Careers

Summer Bridge Program Made Possible at No Cost to Students with Funds from Golden LEAF Foundation

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Caroline Sparrow is a rising 11th-grader at Kings Mountain High School. She has an interest in anesthesiology and wanted to find out if that’s the right career path for her. The new Summer Bridge program held recently at Gardner-Webb University gave her a hands-on introduction to anesthesiology along with various other healthcare professions.

Sparrow, with the help of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Kaitlin Benedict from Atrium Health Cleveland, intubated a mannequin and was amazed by the realistic procedure. Her friend, Tristian Ballard, also a rising 11th-grader at Kings Mountain High School, was excited to perform the intubation as well. Motivated by his mother’s determination and success, Ballard has already decided that he wants to be a nurse.

“I saw her go to school later in her life,” he offered. “She wanted to be a nurse when she was a lot younger, but she never got the chance. She went back recently, and I saw her do that and learned a little bit about it and she was a big inspiration to me.”

The intubation activity was part of a career fair, where the students rotated to different stations to learn about several types of health professions. Sparrow and Ballard also practiced surgical techniques using a simulator provided by Cleveland Community College Surgical Technology Program. They participated in other learning experiences during the week and received third-party credentialing in CPR and Stop the Bleed, making them more prepared to advance in their education and careers.

The immersive experience was offered two separate weeks and welcomed a total of 26 students. It was made possible by funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation Community-Based Grants Initiative. Gardner-Webb collaborated with community partners, Cleveland Community College (CCC) and Cleveland County Schools to secure a total of over $1.2 million to offer the camp for high schoolers as part of a Healthcare Educational Pathway. Leaders from all three entities presented separate proposals to form this plan to address regional health workforce shortages, particularly in nursing and allied health professions. (Read more about the award here.)

Associate Professor of Nursing Dr. Jessica Ivey and Assistant Professor of Nursing Dr. Angel Queen coordinated the Summer Bridge program and were enthused about the inquisitive and interested students who attended. “We’ve worked really hard the past couple months to prepare a curriculum for these students over the last four days,” Ivey observed. “They are loving it. We have introduced students to a variety of different healthcare professions—pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy—and we’re hoping that this will help them make decisions and continue to stay here in Cleveland County and have a career. We are excited, and we’re excited to do this again next year.”

Queen further addressed the goals of the program and the importance of exposing young people to opportunities in their hometowns. “There’s so much that Cleveland County offers with them being able to do a lot of studying in high school,” she asserted. “Exposing them early to how they can get their associate degree or get their bachelor’s degree and even move up to master’s or doctoral programs helps them set those short-term and long-term goals, and how to achieve those. A lot of times, you just have to plant that seed. And then, you have all of us that help support and water and help that grow into whatever they decide to be when they grow up. We need different providers in different areas and different specialties, and so it’s so important that we foster these young students, and we expose them to all the different avenues that they can do.”

Sparrow and Ballard said they appreciated all the opportunities the week provided, including staying in a residence hall on Gardner-Webb’s campus. “It’s actually good because I feel like it pushes me to want to do more for my own education,” Sparrow shared. “It’s really special because we didn’t have to pay for any of this.”

Ballard added, “I enjoyed the campus the most. It’s a beautiful campus. I learned a lot about being a nurse, and what type of nurses there are and what I have to do to become a nurse.”

About The Golden LEAF Foundation

Golden LEAF was created to receive 50 percent of the annual payments made by cigarette manufacturers to North Carolina under the historic 1999 Master Settlement Agreement that included 46 states. LEAF stands for Long-Term Economic Advancement Foundation. The endowment has funded hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and scholarships to support its mission to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities. Read more here.

About Gardner-Webb University

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu