Davidson-Davie Community College program targets health care worker shortage
A program at Davidson-Davie Community College is designed to allow students to get hands-on training while they prepare for careers in such health care fields as nursing. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
North Carolina has a shortage of health care workers and the situation may get worse over the next decade. Davidson-Davie Community College is helping address this shortfall with a new apprenticeship program.
The community college’s program is in partnership with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. It allows students to work in the health care field and get hands-on learning experience in areas such as nursing and medical assisting.
The nursing apprenticeship program currently has seven students enrolled with plans to expand to other areas such as medical lab technician, surgical technician, and pharmacy technology.
Between 2016 and 2021, North Carolina lost more than nine percent of its direct-care workforce, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. University of North Carolina researchers project a shortage of nearly 12,500 registered nurses within the next 10 years.
Davidson-Davie Community College officials plan to work with other healthcare partners and organizations to also establish apprenticeships in health information technology, EMT, and paramedics.
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