The grant will be used to introduce high school students to careers in nursing and social work via a weeklong summer program.
The University of Pikeville has received a $41,802 grant from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) that will introduce high school juniors and seniors from around eastern Kentucky to the idea of pursuing a career in nursing or social work fields. The grant will fund a weeklong program that will give these students a residential experience on the University of Pikeville’s campus in order to explore these careers through workshops and hands-on activities.
According to an article on the University of Pikeville’s website, Genesia Kilgore-Bowling, MSW, Ph.D., who serves as the chair of the UPIKE Social Work program, was quoted as saying, “The idea behind this CPE grant is to offer students more than just a glimpse into nursing and social work careers. It’s about empowering them to realize that these professions are within their reach, no matter their background. We want to provide them with skills and knowledge that will help them now, but will serve them long after the program ends.”
From June 22-27, 2025, 20 high school juniors and seniors from Pike and Letcher counties will come to the University of Pikeville campus for the residential program. Two tracks will be available to the students as they engage in hands-on, immersive activities designed to give them a glimpse into what it would be like to work as a nurse or a social worker. In the nursing-focused track, participants will learn skills like CPR, wound dressing, and taking vital signs, and in the social work track, students will take part in workshops that simulate different roles in social work and will visit a community partner organization to observe social work in action.
In addition to participating in the separate tracks, students will also have the opportunity to see first-hand how nursing and social work often work together in real life. Collaborative simulation activities will give students the chance to work through examples of issues that happen in the real world that involve both fields in the solution.
Students will be able to participate in a community service project, receive CPR certification, receive Teen Mental Health First Aid training, watch panel discussions, play through an escape room, go bowling, and practice yoga with their fellow students.
The program will focus on engaging participants who come from diverse communities or who will become first-generation college students. Students will have to apply for a spot in the program if they are interested in attending, and the process will begin with representatives from the University of Pikeville visiting eligible high schools in Pike and Letcher with more information about applying. Twenty students will be chosen to participate.
The motivation behind a program like this is to give students a better idea of what it would be like to work in nursing or social work. According to Karen Damron, R.N., Ph.D., who serves as the Dean of UPIKE’s College of Nursing and Human Services, “The goal of this program is to inspire students and give them the confidence and skills they need to consider careers in healthcare. We want to encourage them toward sectors of our community that need a workforce and equip them with the knowledge to succeed in those fields.”
For more information about the University of Pikeville, visit the school’s website.