High school and college medical programs discussed at State of Healthcare
By Wes Tomlinson
For the Enquirer
Hospitals are still dealing with staffing shortages following the COVID-19 pandemic, but medical professionals hope local health science programs on the high school and collegiate levels will eventually fill the medical workforce and increase interest in health care careers across Morgan County.
Every school district in Morgan County has a health sciences program. Kelli Powers, president and CEO of Decatur Morgan Hospital and one of the panelists at the 2024 State of Healthcare program in Hartselle on Tuesday, said it is a luxury to have potential hires from those school districts in the neighborhood.
“I was talking to a former teacher and she said back in the day they had (home economics) and we had all these different things but we really weren’t focused on health care like we are today,” Powers said. “There is so much opportunity in health care.”
The event was hosted by the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce. In addition to Powers, panelists included Dr. William Smith, chief medical officer of the Cullman Regional Medical Center; Kenneth Kirkland, dean of Health Sciences at Calhoun Community College; Deborah Hoover, director of the nursing program at Wallace State Community College; and Lynne Shelton, director of Hartselle High School’s Medical Academy Program.
Moderator Mike Tucker, owner of LifeWork Physical Therapy, began the discussion by asking the panel about staff and recruitment programs to hire more physicians and nurses. According to Powers, there are currently 224 open positions at Decatur Morgan Hospital.
Powers lauded the nursing apprenticeship program at Calhoun Community College as a solid recruitment tool because of the hands-on experience students can receive while completing their clinical rotations at Decatur Morgan Hospital.
“What this means is you can actually go to school, be a nurse and get paid,” Powers said. “We will pay for your school, but we’ll also pay you to work while you are doing your clinicals and you’re with a mentor.”
Kirkland said there are more than 40 students enrolled in the nursing apprenticeship program this fall.
Kirkland also mentioned the Morgan County Rural Development Park, a partnership between Calhoun and Morgan County Schools to provide health science classes in the old Sparkman Elementary building.
“They will offer 10 dual enrollment health care pathways that all lead to national certifications and licensing,” Kirkland said. “We want to get students involved in pathways that they otherwise would have never known about.”
Morgan County Superintendent Tracie Turrentine said Rural Development Park is slated to open during the 2025-26 school year.
Hartselle High’s Medical Academy is a four-year course students can begin taking in the ninth grade and incorporates “career exploration, health care concepts, skills acquisition, and professional development,” Shelton said.
“All of that culminates with three capstone courses: pharmacy technician, medical internship, and sports medicine,” Shelton said. “By the time our senior students have gone through all of that, they have mastered several entry level skills … .”
The program had 25 seniors last year, all of whom earned their national health care certifications and some of whom earned their patient care technician certifications.
