Sumter CCTC students receive Path to Provide scholarships

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The Path to Provide scholarship is a partnership with the South Carolina Technical College System and affiliated colleges and the South Carolina Hospital Association and member hospitals. The scholarship program allows students pursuing an associate degree in nursing to attend classes full-time and work part-time at a sponsoring hospital. The program was created to support the future workforce needs of South Carolina hospitals and to provide local community citizens with an opportunity to pursue post-secondary training for a fulfilling career, while accumulating no student debt. The scholarship program allows nursing students at Central Carolina Technical College to gain firsthand working experience in a hospital setting while earning a degree and provides financial assistance with education and entry-level employment at the sponsoring hospital upon successful completion of the program and meeting licensure requirements.

The sponsoring hospital provides financial assistance toward the student's tuition and cost of attendance each year while the student is enrolled full-time in an academic program. The student must be actively enrolled in the Path to Provide scholarship program while meeting all academic requirements to maintain sponsorship. In order for students to be qualified, they must be enrolled as a full-time nursing student, possess and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher, commit to working part-time during the program and commit to working at sponsoring hospitals for at least two years post-program completion.

Central Carolina Technical College, along with nine other technical colleges in S.C., was selected for this pilot program. Two students, Hannah Glass and Kathryn Ardis, were chosen from CCTC to receive the Path to Provide scholarship. "The launching of the Path to Provide Scholarship is a wonderful example of community partners (SC Technical College System, Central Carolina Technical College, and South Carolina Hospital Association) collaborating together to support the future workforce needs for nurses at Prisma Health Tuomey. The scholarship provides an opportunity for Hannah Glass and Katie Ardis to attend the nursing program at CCTC, gain work experience at Prisma Health Tuomey while accumulating no or minimal student debt," CCTC Dean of Health Sciences Mary Jo Ardis said.

Glass graduated from Laurence Manning Academy in 2017 and is enrolled in CCTC's Associate Degree Nursing program. She's working toward graduating from the ADN program in May of 2020. With the Path to Provide Scholarship she will start working at Prisma Health Tuomey as a nurse technician while still pursuing her associate degree. When asked how this scholarship has been helpful, her response was, "It definitely helps with the job experience. This scholarship allows me to get my foot in the door. While finishing school, I'll also be able to gain experience learning in an environment that I'll be working in once I graduate with my degree. It's been a blessing!"

Kathryn Ardis received her Emergency Medical Technician certification in 2005 by completing the EMT certification course through CCTC's Continuing Education program. She works at Prisma Health Tuomey in a contract position with Continental Tire as a certified EMT on their job site. She decided to make a career change and pursue an associate degree through CCTC's nursing program. She plans to graduate from the program in May of 2020. While taking classes, she'll continue working with Prisma Health Tuomey through the Path to Provide scholarship. "This scholarship is a tremendous help financially. This is a career change for me, and being able to go to school while working makes the financial benefit of this scholarship program very helpful," Ardis said.

For more information on CCTC's Associate Degree Nursing program, visit: http://www.cctech.edu/program-of-study/nursing-adn/.