Carthage awarded $36,000 grant to support pre-health programs

Congratulations to the departments of nursing, exercise and sports science, allied health science, and the Division of Arts and Humanities for receiving a $36,000 grant from the Franklin I. and Irene List Saemann Foundation.

This grant will continue to underwrite scholarships for nursing students, expand opportunities for interprofessional education for pre-health professionals, and support the development of a new minor in the medical humanities.

As in past years, the Saemann Foundation is helping the College provide exceptional and expansive training for students interested in nursing and other health professions.

In 2022, the interprofessional education team, which consists of professors Nancy Reese, Laurie Jensen, Mandy Long, and Ashley Greenwood, became certified instructors for TeamSTEPPS, a patient safety program that emphasizes teamwork and communication among providers to improve patient outcomes. The grant will enable the team to provide several TeamSTEPPS workshops to students throughout the year. Workshops will be provided through The Aspire Center, and students may include their completion of the program in their My Aspire Plan (MAP) and on future resumes.

The final portion of the grant will support faculty and staff in the Division of Arts and Humanities to develop curriculum for a medical humanities minor. Study of the humanities has been shown to make candidates more competitive for medical school and advanced graduate study, as well as prepare future healthcare providers to be better observers, communicators, and independent, critical thinkers. With a humanities minor, pre-health students will be more well rounded, resilient, and have an improved bedside manner.

At Carthage, a minor in medical humanities will focus particularly on understanding the social and cultural contexts of personhood and illness, and offer holistic preparation for a career in the healthcare field.

With this grant from the Saemann Foundation, Carthage will be able to provide its students the tools to become highly marketable and employable graduates and highly resilient, empathetic, and compassionate healthcare professionals.

Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:

Pre-Health Program

For more information, contact:

Katharine Keenan: kkeenan@carthage.edu