Building a Healthcare Pathway from Classroom to Career
Photos courtesy: Centra
Across the country, healthcare organizations are grappling with workforce shortages that threaten the delivery of essential services. In Central and Southern Virginia, Centra Health is meeting that challenge with a multi-layered strategy that begins in middle school and extends through college, licensure, and the first years on the job.
Through career camps, strategic partnerships, immersive externships, and nationally modeled residency programs, Centra is building a regional talent pipeline that prepares the next generation of nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals.
Starting Early: OMESA and Youth Engagement
A potential entry point for many future caregivers is Centra’s Office of Medical Education and Student Affairs (OMESA), which offers healthcare career camps, school partnerships, internships, and shadowing opportunities throughout the region.
“The Centra Health Career camps are a great window into the world of healthcare,” said Brittney Aagaard, Director of Student Affairs at Centra. “Unless young learners have had experiences in healthcare or family/friends with careers in the medical field, knowledge can be a bit limited on the variety of careers that exist. The camps give an opportunity for students to not only learn about the variety of roles but the educational pathways to get there.”
The multi-day programs, held on Centra’s campuses in Lynchburg, Bedford, and Farmville, immerse students in simulations, CPR training, and observational experiences in fields such as radiology, physical therapy, and nursing. “An added bonus is that they are offered at all three hospital campuses so we can provide opportunities to a larger number of our surrounding counties,” Aagaard added.
Internship programs, like Centra’s partnership with Beacon
of Hope, further expand access to healthcare exposure for high school students. “As Centra is able to accommodate, we partner with these schools to offer the internship experience onsite,” said Aagaard. “This not only allows the student to see what that particular career field may be like but also provides the opportunity to see the collaboration among the interdisciplinary healthcare teams to ultimately provide the best patient care.”
Centra College: A Healthcare System’s Educational Anchor
For those ready to pursue formal education, Centra College offers four distinct nursing programs: Nurse Aide (CNA), Practical Nursing, Associate Degree in Nursing, and RN to BSN.
“One of the primary advantages of a college owned by a healthcare system is the immediate and ongoing access to real-time insights into community health trends and patient care needs,” said Megan Eden, Director of Experiential Learning at Centra College. “At Centra College, this connection translates into a learning environment that is closely aligned with the realities of modern healthcare.”
Students benefit from high clinical hour requirements, state-of-the-art simulation labs, and mentorship by clinical adjunct faculty who are practicing nurses. “With a high number of required clinical hours, students are immersed in hands-on experiences within clinical settings from the very beginning of their programs,” Eden said.
The results speak for themselves: the college boasts a 100 percent NCLEX-PN pass rate for over two years and a 95 percent pass rate for the NCLEX-RN. “One hundred percent of graduates start working as an RN immediately upon licensure and most are offered positions before they even graduate,” Eden said. “Nationally, associate degree nurses stay in the area in which they attended their nursing program, continuing to provide care to their own communities.”
Bridging the Gap: Nurse Externships and Residencies
To ensure students graduate with not only classroom knowledge but practical experience, Centra offers summer nurse externships and a one-year Nurse Residency Program.
“Each summer, Centra offers a Nurse Extern Program designed to provide students enrolled in prelicensure Registered Nurse programs with valuable hands-on clinical experience,” said Lisa Jamerson, Director of Transition to Practice Programs. “Externs work closely with an experienced preceptor, gaining practical skills and knowledge that complement their academic learning.”
The Nurse Residency Program extends this support for newly licensed LPNs and RNs by offering a structured transition to independent clinical practice. “This comprehensive program bridges the gap between nursing education and independent practice, fostering both competence and confidence in new graduates,” Jamerson said.
Key components include precepted clinical orientation, professional development, wellness training, and mentorship. “The program is modeled after the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) standards, and Centra is actively pursuing accreditation under these guidelines,” she added.
In 2024, Centra’s nurse residency retention rate reached 88 percent, far surpassing the national average of 76.2 percent, according to the National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report. “Beyond skill development, the Nurse Residency Program helps cultivate a supportive and healthy work environment that empowers new nurses,” Jamerson said.
From Learner to Leader: Professional Growth and Support
Once a new nurse completes the residency program, the support continues through Centra’s career ladders, certification support, and continuing education opportunities. “Mentorship doesn’t end with the residency,” Jamerson said. “Nurses are encouraged to stay connected with their mentors and continue receiving guidance as they advance in their careers.”
Centra also provides tuition reimbursement to help cover the costs of advancing degrees or specialty certifications. “Whether pursuing a bachelor’s degree, specialty certification, or advanced practice licensure, nurses are empowered to grow professionally without leaving the organization that supported their start,” Jamerson added.
Programs like Professional Nursing Governance (PNG) give frontline nurses a voice in organizational decision-making, and a suite of wellness tools—including an Employee Assistance Program and cognitive behavioral health resources—reinforce Centra’s commitment to caregiver well-being.
Specialized Provider and Student Training
Centra’s focus on workforce development extends beyond nursing. The Lynchburg Family Medicine Residency (LFMR), Physician Assistant Fellowships in primary care, neurology, emergency medicine, cardiology through Centra’s Heart & Vascular Institute as well as the Doctoral Psychology Internship Program provide additional learning and training opportunities while employed at Centra. Centra also provides clinical rotations for students enrolled in medical school, physician assistant school, graduate nursing, and allied health programs to prepare them for long-term clinical careers.
“LFMR has provided a rigorous yet supportive learning environment where residents care for a diverse patient population under the close supervision of experienced faculty,” Centra shared. Fellows and interns participate in specialized training, simulation, and direct clinical care while benefiting from structured mentorship designed to ease the transition into practice.
The Power of Partnership
To fuel its pipeline strategy, Centra works closely with local academic institutions such as Liberty University, the University of Lynchburg, Longwood University, and Central Virginia Community College. “These relationships allow us to build our healthcare workforce and support these programs in meeting the needs of the healthcare organization,” Jamerson said.
She emphasized that the connection goes both ways: “Information sharing, that supports the privacy of our patients, takes place where Centra can share identified learning needs of individuals new to the workforce to help foster program curriculums.”
Aagaard agreed: “Creating these types of partnerships strengthens our purpose and makes the experiences more meaningful to the students. Over time, the organizations or institutions are able to help us identify students who have a keen interest in healthcare and are looking for additional opportunities.”
Looking Ahead
The long-term goal, according to Centra leaders, is to track student engagement from early exposure to employment. “Eventually, we hope to have the ability to track new hires and identify through the onboard process if they engaged with any of the above offerings at some point prior to being hired at Centra,” said Aagaard.
As the healthcare workforce ages and the demand for services grows, initiatives like Centra’s will be vital to maintaining strong regional care.
“For those considering a career in healthcare—across its many diverse facets—the opportunities are extensive,” Aagaard said. “Whether your interests lie in clinical care, administration, technology, support services, research, or public health, there are countless paths to explore.”
As the healthcare workforce ages and the demand for services grows, initiatives like Centra’s are not only building a robust talent pipeline—they’re cultivating a cycle of mentorship that strengthens retention and enhances the quality of care across the region. From early exposure in classrooms to hands-on support in the field, Centra is investing in the caregivers of tomorrow with a strategy that’s both sustainable and deeply rooted in community need.
