NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s Healthcare Academic and Career Exploration (ACE) project served over 80 high school juniors and seniors Feb. 28 during the sixth workforce readiness event of the academic year.
NSU’s Healthcare Academic and Career Exploration (ACE) is a no-cost project that introduces students to central Louisiana’s high demand healthcare careers in nursing, allied health, radiologic sciences, addiction studies, psychology and social work.
Students from Lakeview High School and Natchitoches Central High School spent the day on campus engaging in small groups with a team of faculty from NSU, Central Louisiana Community Technical College and Acadian EMS Academy.
“This year, we worked with 497 students from eight central Louisiana parishes,” said Steve Gruesbeck, ACE executive director
The project is funded by a Future of HealthC.A.R.E. Program Grant from The Rapides Foundation, which seeks to increase the number of qualified central Louisiana students enrolling in healthcare training programs or entering the healthcare workforce.
Information on Healthcare ACE is available at https://www.nsula.edu/healthcareace/. Gruesbeck can be reached at sgruesbeck@nsula.edu.
Pictured left: Gabrielle Essex, a senior at Natchitoches Central High School, attended the final ACE Healthcare event at NSU Friday. Essex is Region 1 state vice president of Louisiana HOSA: Future Health Professionals, a student-led organization dedicated to helping students explore health careers. She is an intern at Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and intends to pursue work as an RN.
Pictured Right: Gabriela Contreras, standing, listened to vita signs of Azmir Johnson during a workshop on nursing occupations at Friday’s ACE Healthcare event. Both students attend NCHS and both are interested in discovering more about healthcare careers.
