Staff reports
Beaufort Memorial (BMH) and USC Beaufort (USCB) opened a state-of-the-art Career Development Center in Beaufort in late July. The 6,340 square-foot facility, located on the BMH campus and built in partnership with Beaufort County, the City of Beaufort and the Beaufort Memorial Foundation, will provide hands on training and classroom education for current and future health care professionals.
The center is projected to nearly double the number of nurses able to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing through USCB’s program each year from 42 to 72. It will also provide professional development, education and certification testing for mid-career and aspiring health care professionals through BMH’s People Achieving their Highest (PATH) program.
The facility includes two large classrooms and four clinical simulation labs. The simulation labs provide students with immersive learning experiences guided by trained practitioners. They consist of exact replicas of hospital rooms with life-like, interactive patient “manikins” and real medical equipment, allowing learners to develop expertise in an array of situations using the same tools and equipment they’ll have when caring for patients at BMH.
“This project is a critical investment in the future of our community,” said BMH President and CEO Russell Baxley. “Having an education center on our campus will substantially bolster BMH’s mission of enhancing quality of life in the Lowcountry by helping us directly educate and train new members of the health care workforce.”
BMH and USCB leaders joined with local and state officials to begin planning for the education center in late 2021 amid growing concerns about nursing shortages following the pandemic. Initial funding came in 2022, when Beaufort County and USCB provided $500,000 each for construction costs. The USCB funding was part of a $1 million Congressionally Directed Spending award facilitated by Senator Lindsey Graham.
In 2023, the Beaufort City Council approved an amendment to its budget, allocating $1.5 million from a South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control grant to healthcare workforce development programs that will operate within the center and to the center’s simulation labs. Then, in 2024, the Beaufort City Council approved $1 million in funds from the State of South Carolina’s Fiscal Year 2024 General Appropriations Act to the project, of which $500,000 will be used to provide scholarships, clinical training, traditional education, and financial assistance to incentivize individuals to advance their health care careers. To date, BMH Foundation has raised $1 million to support workforce development programs, construction and scholarships.
“The vision for the center has become a reality and the university is grateful to the generous support from the City of Beaufort and Beaufort County that allowed USCB and BMH to dream big and co-create an academic-practice partnership that benefits the entire community,” Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Kim Dudas said.
“The ability to combine the educational expertise of both the USCB and BMH education teams will be transformative for those seeking to further their careers in health care,” said Joy Solomon, BMH education department director. “We look forward to growing our PATH program within this advanced education center.”
The PATH Program is a joint venture funded by the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation and Beaufort County. Along with nurses, it provides training and certification opportunities in the areas of certified patient care technician, certified phlebotomy technician, certified EKG technician, certified clinical medical assistant and more.
Participants receive access to numerous resources from career counseling and in-house training to scholarships and flexible scheduling to accommodate classes. Since its inception in May 2022, 57 students have graduated through the program. Of those who pursued national certification in their chosen field, the program has had an astounding pass rate of 97% – 20% higher than the National Healthcareer Association’s national average of 78%.
“The USCB Department of Nursing is delighted to partner with Beaufort Memorial Hospital as we educate and cultivate excellent baccalaureate prepared nurses,” said Dr. Christina Beall, USCB nursing department chair. “This partnership is a critical step toward addressing the nursing shortage in both the Lowcountry and beyond. It will offer students in rural communities the opportunity to receive a state-of-the-art educational experience and develop interprofessional competencies working side by side with seasoned healthcare professionals.”
The facility is located on the second floor of the Beaufort Memorial Medical and Administrative Center at 990 Ribaut Road.
To learn more about these programs or career opportunities at Beaufort Memorial visit BeaufortMemorial.org/CareerDevelopmentCenter.
