September 16, 2020 /Sara Doan, Northeast Arkansas News
PARAGOULD, Ark- BRTC is partnering with Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould to create an instructional site for nursing students.
This will allow some students to stay closer to home and receive their nursing education in a hospital setting.
“We love to be able to partner with a hospital and area people who have been doing this all their life,” says Executive Director of BRTC Paragould Priscilla Stillwell. “It’s a hometown school and a hometown hospital. It’s a great fit.”
We first told you about this partnership last winter.
The new instructional site for the traditional registered nursing program official opened on September 1st.
The new site will give potential students an option to complete their coursework at the Pocahontas campus or at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center.
Students at AMMC can also complete their clinical rotations there too.
One student says it was a perfect fit for her.
“I have lived and worked in this community for my entire life,” says BRTC, AMMC campus nursing student Renee Rosten. “Whenever I heard there being a program locally, it drove me to want to go to nursing school even more with it being close to home.”
While being in the hospital will give students a unique opportunity.
Video conferencing and in class lectures will take place.
They did have to make adjustments due to COVID-19.
Students are broken up into small groups.
They’re also limiting close contact time and no linens on hospital beds in their stimulation labs.
AMMC’s Director of Marketing, Tori Thompson says it’s not only a wonderful opportunity for BRTC, but also AMMC.
“We like to have quality nurses and, we are working with BRTC which produces an outstanding nursing program,” says Thompson. “Having them here and in our facilities is a step ahead for our nursing program here at AMMC.”
So far, 12 students did enroll in the program on the AMMC campus, with hopes to expand to allow 24 students and even more into the future.