May 31, 2022

Fellows:
Dale Gresson, Columbus State Community College
Stephanie Stauver, Belmont College
Denise Rohr, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

Project Advisor:
Stephanie Sutton, Stark State College

Executive Summary:
Students often gravitate to limited access programs, such a nursing, on the recommendation of friends/family or because of the high profile of the profession, rather than a comprehensive understanding of the nursing field. Many of these students are never admitted into their program of choice and are unaware that community colleges have many allied health programs other than the selective admission program that they may be interested in or have the competencies to complete. Many of these professions are in high need and offer a living wage upon program completion/graduation.

For our pathways project, our team explored contextualizing health careers topics into the First Year Experience/Freshman Seminar courses required in the first semester of most Community College curriculums. These topics will assist students in increasing their knowledge of nursing and allied health professions, inform student about academic and soft skills required in health professions, and assess student strengths and tie these to the health professions that may be the best fit for them to study.