South College healthcare partnerships with Northside Hospital boost professional opportunities for nursing students

South College’s partnerships and campus outreach with healthcare organizations provide nursing students with hands-on experiences to help propel them into professional opportunities after graduation.

“South College campuses often are situated in locations that are hubs for medical care, and we strive to provide opportunities for our students to connect with potential employers and gain practical experience while they are still in college,” said Josh Huffaker, president of the South College Atlanta campus. “The outreach efforts across the South College footprint, including Atlanta, include hosting hospitals and healthcare providers on campus to meet with our students while they are in college to share information about experiences that are available that can help students explore opportunities in their fields.”

When Northside Hospital made a recruiting visit to South College Atlanta, student Stacy Bucknor decided to pursue an opportunity to get that needed experience in her senior year of nursing. “I’m going to dive into this. Go full force,” Bucknor told The Atlanta Journal Constitution, which featured the student and her pathway to Northside Hospital.

That decision changed the course of Bucknor’s career, as she earned a spot in the health system’s Nurse Extern Excellence Program. Bucknor started in January and will pursue a nurse residency position in the intensive care unit at Northside Hospital after she graduates in September.

Bucknor used the externship to boost her confidence, work alongside medical professionals and prove to herself that she could succeed as a nurse in the ICU.

As outlined in the newspaper article about Bucknor, her 12-hour shifts include administering medication, starting IVs and fluid pumps, helping transport and discharge patients and charting and using the hospital’s computer system.

South College Atlanta offers multiple healthcare pathways, including nursing, health science, imaging science, medical assisting, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, respiratory therapy and surgical technology

The Atlanta campus is located at 2600 Century Parkway NE. Interested students may call the admissions team at 404-282-3632 or visit south.edu/location/atlanta.

South College offers academic programs at multiple levels, including professional certificates and associate, bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist and doctoral degree programs via campuses in Knoxville and Nashville, Tennessee; Asheville, North Carolina; Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia; Indianapolis, Indiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Dallas, Texas; and Orlando, Florida, as well as Online and CBE.