Educational Partnerships
It’s a seven-minute walk from Decatur High School to the Emory Nursing Learning Center. It’s a 12-minute bus ride from Charles R. Drew Charter School to the same destination.
Twice a week, seniors from both schools — 14 in all — make their way to the learning center for three hours of class. When they graduate from high school next spring, all will be qualified to enter the workforce as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and attend college.
Getting real-world experience can change the trajectory of our students. They may decide that a career in nursing is for them and continue their education in college. The opportunities are endless. They can go in so many different directions.
“We’ve been working for the past three years to open the center for nursing students,” says McCauley, dean of the School of Nursing. “Now we can open the doors to share it with the community.”
Introducing high school students to careers in nursing is critical to growing the workforce. “The COVID-19 pandemic showed us why we need nurses more than ever,” says McCauley. “Nursing requires a continual investment in education, whether you’re a high school student or an advanced practice nurse.”
The CNA program is a step in the right direction. It evolved after Duane Sprull, director of the Decatur Career Academy, and Juliet Karanja-Pinder, director of student services at Drew Charter School, approached Laika Steiger, MBA, FACHE, senior assistant dean at the School of Nursing, with the idea. The CNA program thus became the first offering in a health career track for Decatur High and Drew Charter school seniors.
Both schools offer their own programs to prepare students for college entry or vocational and technical employment after graduation. Often, when students choose an employment track, they forgo taking prerequisite courses for college. What was needed, the schools agreed, was a program that provided both options for students. The schools formed a partnership, called D Squared, to create a health career track for their students, starting with the CNA program.
“D Squared ensures we are preparing students to be the best they can be,” says Karanja- Pinder. “When students graduate, their prerequisite courses, CNA certification, and high school diploma will make them eligible to attend a four-year college, whether they choose to enroll right away or after they’ve worked as a CNA.”
Nursing faculty from Georgia Piedmont Technical College, some five miles from Decatur, began teaching the 14 high school students at the Emory Nursing Learning Center in August. Students take their courses online in space provided by the Emory Nursing Experience, the professional development program for nurses, and receive hands-on training in one of the learning center’s skills labs.
“Getting real-world experience can change the trajectory of our students,” says Karanja- Pinder. “They may decide that a career in nursing is for them and continue their education in college. The opportunities are endless. They can go in so many different directions.”
Her colleague at Decatur High School concurs. “We wouldn’t be able to do this program if the Emory Nursing Learning Center had not come to Decatur,” says Sprull.
