At Williamson Health, community matters. That commitment is the driving force behind the system’s deep desire to provide exceptional care to area residents, but it also fuels its vision for the future.

One way Williamson Health is investing in both is through a long-standing partnership with Columbia State Community College’s nursing program.

“Columbia State has a campus right here in our backyard,” said Amanda Marcin, clinical educator at Williamson Medical Center (WMC), explaining that Columbia State’s Williamson County campus is located less than a mile from WMC. “The beauty of this partnership is that our nursing students get to learn and grow right in the community they live in. They get to be a part of something that helps their families and their friends.”

For more than two decades, WMC, the regional system’s flagship acute-care hospital, has partnered with Columbia State’s nursing program, helping to provide the hands-on, clinical experiences students need to excel in the field.

“Our curriculum is progressive—we start in the classroom, students practice in the lab—but nothing can replace the experiences students have when they’re immersed in a hospital like Williamson Medical Center,” said Amy Huff, director of Columbia State’s nursing program. “Our students are able to observe and model others in their profession. And with faculty supervision, they’re able to practice what they’ve been learning. There’s no substitute for that.”

Marcin, who helps to plan and design all educational experiences at WMC, agreed.

“You can learn about things by reading about them, but to really understand it, you have to do it,” Marcin said. “Nursing students do simulation labs in class, but there’s no replacement for seeing, touching and talking with a real patient and interacting with real families, caregivers and physicians. These students are the future of healthcare, and we want to give them good experiences so that when they are working in the field, they have a solid foundation.”

Michelle Wittman, who chose nursing as a second career after working in various healthcare executive and sales roles, graduated from Columbia State’s nursing program in May. Last month, she began working as a nurse resident on the fifth floor of WMC, the surgical unit. She said her clinical rotations at WMC definitely provided valuable hands-on learning experiences, but they also helped shape her decision about where to work once she completed her degree.

“When I worked in the business side of healthcare, one of the things I did was manage patient, consumer and employee experiences,” Wittman said. “So when I was doing my clinical rotations at WMC, I paid attention to absolutely everything. Did the nurses look happy? Were they able to spend quality time with patients? What were their interactions like with physicians?

“I wanted to work in an environment where I knew nurses were taken care of and happy,” she continued. “What I learned was that WMC provided the best staffing ratios to the other hospitals I considered, and I knew it would provide the best learning experience that would allow me to master my skills and grow in a place that doesn’t cut corners.”

More than anything, Wittman said she was looking for a community, a hospital that felt like home. And that’s exactly the kind of experience Huff and Marcin are trying to create for nursing students, patients and providers alike.

“There’s just something special about learning from a system that’s rooted in your community,” Huff said. “You belong to it, and it belongs to you. Familiarity can foster trust and comfort. Entering a new profession is intimidating, so being able to learn and train in a place that is familiar  boosts student confidence.”

Marcin agreed, stressing that the sense of community Columbia State nursing students experience at WMC flows out of the hospital’s culture, mission and vision for providing exceptional care close to home.

“We have a wonderful hospital, a great facility and amazing nurses, physicians and staff members,” Marcin said of WMC. “Nursing students get real opportunities to grow, learn and establish skills here because we provide high-quality care.

“We’re different than other hospitals,” she continued. “We have a community feel and a sense of home. When we say ‘More for You. Close to Home.’ that idea rings true for our nursing students as well as our community.”