Warner Robins, Ga. – In January, students from Central Georgia Technical College’s (CGTC) Licensed Professional Nursing Bridge Program and Radiologic Technology program took part in CGTC Health Sciences Study Abroad in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the first time.
Student participation under these programs comes because of program development under a grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program, which aims to develop and expand study abroad programs around the world for underrepresented students and programs.
In 2023, CGTC became one of 34 U.S. colleges and universities in 28 U.S. states to be awarded a grant from the IDEAS program. Over the two-year grant period, CGTC’s Office of Global Initiatives worked with faculty in Nursing, Dental Hygiene, and Radiologic Technology to expand opportunities for study abroad in existing and new healthcare programs.
The students in Radiologic Technology and Nursing joined a group of Dental Hygiene students for a seven-day itinerary on the island where they learned and served alongside healthcare professionals.
“We just get to experience a different way for the radiography part of it,” said Jordyn Butterfield, a radiologic technology student in her final semester, looking back on her first day in Milton Cato Hospital. “It’s a different protocol, a different way of doing it.”
The highlight among radiologic technology students was the difference in modalities used in the hospital and Vincentian use of state-of-the-art technologies, expressing how helpful it was to their growth as students and their progress toward career goals locally.
“They have really good imaging systems,” added Ailli Toivonen, a radiologic technology student and classmate of Butterfield.
Nursing students, including Stephanie Walker in the LPN Bridge Program, experienced a brand-new learning structure for their leadership course, spending one day at the hospital shadowing student nurses from St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College.
“Early in the trip we re-connected with our partners and colleagues in the nursing division at the community college and decided students in similar leadership classes could benefit from a day learning alongside each other in the hospital,” said CGTC director of Nursing, Jessica Willcox.
As Nursing expanded their learning opportunities on the island, Dental Hygiene welcomed new students into polyclinics and schools to clean teeth and share healthy hygiene habits to children.
The program welcomed Navy veteran, Zena Booker, from Twiggs County to its roster of students. Booker is not a stranger to travel as her time in the military required it, but a whole new experience studying abroad and putting her new skills to work gave her reason to reflect on service.
“I’d like to take this experience back (to Twiggs County) and tell the stories whenever I see my family and friends and let them know how beautiful it is in other countries,” Booker said. “It’s kind of like when I was in the Navy, doing outreach and volunteering. It felt good (again) to give back and help people who are in need. I didn’t even know CGTC was offering any type of study abroad but as soon as this opportunity was presented to us, I was ready to jump on it.
CGTC Office of Global Initiatives offers several study abroad programs to different countries. Since 2023, Health Sciences programs have traveled bi-annually to St. Vincent and the Grenadines where students use their knowledge and skills in a variety of service-learning projects for academic credit.
For more about study abroad programs visit www.centralgatech.edu/global.
Discover the Difference: Study Abroad in Action