Three years into a project aimed at fortifying the diminishing supply of future health care workers, especially in rural regions like Western North Carolina, Pamela Judson and her team at Southwestern Community College (SCC) are dreaming big through a new opportunity focusing on collaboration and innovation.
“There’s a huge need for health care workers in WNC. We’ve been going into local middle schools and high schools to explain to students, ‘This is what you could do in this field, and this is how you can get there— and it is working,’” Judson said.
As Director of Pre-Health Sciences at SCC, Judson oversees Project SHIFT (SCC Health Initiative for Teens). The program brings hands-on learning about health care careers into local classrooms, helping middle and high school students explore — and eventually pursue — education and careers in the field.
Project SHIFT was created in 2023 with a $500,000 grant from Dogwood Health Trust. It quickly gained traction, reaching more than 1,800 students at ten high schools and early colleges. Over 600 students participated in the program’s mobile learning labs where they engaged in hands-on tasks such as intubating a mannequin, observing live portable ultrasound imaging or performing mock patient assessments using stethoscopes and pulse oximeters.
“I have seen students light up with motivation after attending events hosted by Project SHIFT, and I’ve watched them gain confidence in pursuing certifications and career goals they previously thought were out of reach,” said Michele Kussow RN, of her Franklin High School students.
These experiences provide young students with deeply engaging opportunities well before high school graduation. One student noted, “I learned more about career choices I may be interested in.” Of those who finish the Project SHIFT program, 92% have gone on to take college-level courses either in high school or post-high school.
SCC has also seen application and enrollment rates increase across nearly all of the college’s 18 health sciences programs. “It makes it very real for them,” Judson remarked, adding that field trips to SCC and advising and career support are also offered. “We give students an approachable, accessible understanding of what they could become in health care.”
Students also interface with Project SHIFT Ambassadors, former high school participants who are now pursuing professional credentials through higher education. These ambassadors bring real-world perspectives about their college experience directly into high school classrooms, which help make post-secondary education feel attainable. For those that end up applying to SCC, a designated student navigator walks alongside them with guidance through each step.
Dreaming Big
Today, Project SHIFT is entering a second phase through a new two-year $500,000 grant with Dogwood’s emerging Collaboration & Innovation initiative, which supports collaborations spanning organizations, sectors, and geographic locations to pilot and scale breakthrough solutions to complex community challenges. Grant funding will fuel a new collaboration phase between SCC, Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), local hospitals and public schools to jointly tackle the critical workforce gaps in healthcare across WNC. Together, the group hopes to expand the Project SHIFT model and potentially replicate it at community colleges in other parts of Western North Carolina. “With so many different players at the table to create this together, what’s exciting is that we’re not working in silos,” Judson explained. “Our goal through this grant is to dream really big and explore what’s possible with our partners.”
Timothy Dean, Southwestern Community College’s Dean of Health Sciences, is playing a key role in expanding Project SHIFT. He said the Collaboration & Innovation grant has provided fresh perspective, renewed energy, flexible resources and new partners to shore up the rural health care workforce. “We’re currently in scouting mode, and we have key players at the table from area hospitals and long-term care facilities to high schools and middle schools. I can see how much these folks care about their community and want to come together and make this work. They understand the need to build this workforce pipeline — and build it seamlessly.”
As part of the Collaboration & Innovation grant funding, Judson is participating in a cohort with 58 other grantee groups. Judson says the cohort has provided a critical opportunity for conversations and relationship building that spark new ideas and possibilities. In the coming years, Judson hopes many of these ideas will come to fruition, thanks to newfound partners and open minds.
“This is an opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done before in a way that hasn’t been tried before. I love the way that Dogwood says, ‘If you had exactly what you wanted — the perfect scenario — what would it look like? Now, start planning from there.’ Dreaming big is incredible.”
