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Andalusia Health has announced a collaboration with Lurleen B. Wallace Community College and Covington County Schools for a new healthcare career tech pathway for seniors.

A Patient Care Technician (PCT) training program for senior high school students will begin in January 2024. The course will be offered over one semester and will not only train the student as a Patient Care Technician but would also expose the student to large scope of medical services and skills, via guest lecturers and field trips to a vast variety of other healthcare careers. The students will also become CPR trained as part of the curriculum. The program will be taught at Straughn School and upon completion, students will be able to sit for the National Healthcare Association certification exam. The curriculum for the course is provided by LBWCC and will be taught by an instructor from Andalusia Health. Upon successful completion of the course, interested students will receive a scholarship from Andalusia Health to attend LBW Community College and will receive priority consideration for employment at Andalusia Health. 

A signing ceremony was held on Thursday, Dec. 14, at Andalusia Health. In attendance was Covington County Schools Superintendent, Shannon Driver, Andalusia Health CEO, Vickie Demers, LBW President, Dr. Brock Kelley, Andalusia Health PCT instructor, Anyiah Florence, and Director of Workforce, Chad Sutton.

“We recognize the value in a quality healthcare provider in our community,” said LBW President, Dr. Brock Kelley. “We are committed in helping students prepare for occupations within the healthcare industry and ultimately complete a degree from LBW in one of our medical pathways.”

“We are excited to partner with LBW to develop the next generation of nurses and health care providers here in our own community. This is just the beginning of working closely together with the community to help young students explore health care careers and give them the opportunity to make an impact. The healthcare sector is only growing, and this gives Covington County kids the chance to take advantage of the future growth in the field,” Andalusia Health CEO Vickie Demers said.

For more information regarding the new Patient Care Technology program, call LBWCC.