�ڰ�������

SANFORD, N.C. —  For Amanda Merriman, the pin she received as she completed �ڰ�������’s nursing program represented every late night, every sacrifice, and every moment she and her classmates chose to keep going. 

“We are not the same people who started this journey,” she said. “We are stronger, more resilient, and we trust ourselves in a way we never did before.” 

From last summer through spring of this year, more than 200 Health Sciences students graduated from �ڰ������� equipped with the skills and knowledge to help build healthier communities and meet critical healthcare needs.

Many of those students have begun or will soon begin professional healthcare roles in �ڰ�������’s service area. More than half of the prior year’s class of graduating Health Sciences students are working here in Chatham, Harnett, and Lee counties, according to estimates from Health Sciences leaders at the college. 

“A consistent thread with our students, the pre-healthcare students, is just how committed they are,” said Dr. Denise Martin, �ڰ�������’s Dean of Health Sciences and Professional Services. “They are either in class or in clinic almost every day. There’s a lot to learn in a very short period of time, and so I’m always impressed at their dedication, and their persistence, and their resilience.” 

�ڰ�������’s Health Sciences Career Community encompasses nine programs with credentials that can be completed at �ڰ�������. Those include Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene, Health & Fitness Science, Health Information Technology, Medical Assisting, Medical Sonography, Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Social and Human Services, and Veterinary Medical Technology.

Two additional options, Medical Laboratory Technology and Respiratory Therapy, are offered in partnership with Sandhills Community College. 

This year brought some key firsts for �ڰ�������'s Health Sciences programs. The college celebrated its first-ever graduating class from the Physical Therapist Assistant program, which launched in 2024. �ڰ������� also expanded its Associate Degree Nursing program to the Chatham Health Sciences Center.

Another milestone was the creation of a new accelerated Medical Assisting track, designed for students who had already completed their general education requirements. Those students began Medical Assisting classes in August, graduated this May, and all had job offers before graduating, Dr. Martin said. 

Six of �ڰ�������’s Health Sciences programs use cohorts, meaning that students progress through their classes together as a group, often forming close bonds. For each of these cohort programs, �ڰ������� held pinning ceremonies, carrying on a tradition. At these pinning ceremonies, graduates received pins representing their new professions, recited professional oaths, and reflected on their shared educational journeys. 

“We studied together, encouraged one another, shared laughs, and lifted each other up when things were tough,” shared Brittany Burns, Class President for the Physical Therapist Assistant cohort. “Those moments are what truly defined our experience.”