Rock Spring Elementary students, from left, are Ethan Kruger, Cameron Clark, and Joshua Perea. Georgia Northwestern Technical Practical Nursing Student Molly Rodgers assists the children in an examination of Meti-Man, a medical simulator used in the college’s nursing labs.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Practical Nursing program is spending the spring reaching out to elementary school students in Northwest Georgia.
This week, Practical Nursing instructor Suzanne Pauley and nursing students from the Walker County Campus of Georgia Northwestern reached out to the Kaleidoscope program of Rock Spring Elementary in Walker County Georgia.
On March 25, Mrs. Shawn Turner’s gifted fifth-grade class took part in an informative field trip to Georgia Northwestern. Students have been studying human body systems. “They learned, first-hand, through simulation in our nursing labs on campus,” said Ms. Pauley. “The students worked with our nursing students in learning how the body works and what examinations are done to gather the medical information necessary on each patient.”
From the birthing process to the examination of a Meti-Man mannequin, these fifth-graders got a close-up look at the future of the healthcare world. “Students got to listen to the heartbeat, the breathing, and other symptoms of the simulated patient,” said Ms. Pauley. “If they are interested in healthcare as a future career, they definitely got a jump start on the process today.”
The Rock Spring Kaleidoscope class asked a lot of questions about becoming a physician, as well. Georgia Northwestern is a member of the Technical College System of Georgia. “We offer two years of core classes which can transfer to any University in the University System of Georgia, as well,” said Ms. Pauley. “So, no matter how far these future college students want to take their educational careers, we have something to offer them right here at home.”
Approximately 16,000 people benefit from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs, making it the largest college in Northwest Georgia and the fifth largest technical college in Georgia. For more information on the Practical Nursing program, call 706-764-3851 or e-mail to dcarson@gntc.edu.