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Virtual Surgery Gives Students an Inside Look at Healthcare Gaffney Hospital to Show Knee Replacement to 600 Students Prepared by: Steve Wong Upstate Carolina Medical Center Marketing Phone 864-487-1515 
Because of all the reality and CSI shows, seeing a little blood and guts on television is not a big deal for most students. For one thing, they know its not real just some fancy special effects. But when the students at Gaffney High School see Sue Walukewicz's blood on Dr. Spike Phillips rubber gloves in the OR at Upstate Carolina Medical Center, they'll know its real. Its Virtual Surgery brought to Cherokee County.
"This is one of those wow projects," hospital CEO Joe Howell said. "It will get the students attention, and hopefully their interest in a career in healthcare. Here at Upstate Carolina, we are honored to have been selected to host the surgery this year. It has become quite a privilege among South Carolina hospitals to be chosen to participate." The Virtual Surgery Insider (VSI) project is a collaborative program between the South Carolina Hospital Association and the South Carolina Department of Education. Each year, one or more hospitals and a handful of high schools are chosen to participate. This year, Upstate Carolina Medical Center was chosen to host a knee replacement surgery for the benefit of 600 students in 12 schools in the Upstate. The surgery is shown via a live video feed over the Internet and Dr. Phillps will narrate through the surgical case. The students will be able to ask questions via a live Internet chat and get real-time answers as the program is presented. The goal of the project is to motivate and inspire students to choose careers in healthcare. "Oh, I think they will be impressed," Dr. Phillips, the orthopedic surgeon said. "This not just an ordinary knee replacement. This is a gender-specific knee replacement, something that has just come out during the past year. This is cutting edge stuff. Please pardon the pun." The broadcast is scheduled for the morning of Monday, March 5. Because of the highly interactive nature of the program, only 50 students from each school are allowed to participate. Students who will be participating were chosen based on career interest and teacher recommendation. "We are just as pleased as can be to have our students see this surgery," Gaffney High School principal Dr. Quincie Moore said. "This is a great example of teamwork among state and private agencies and individuals, too. I give many thanks to Upstate Carolina and Dr. Phillips for participating. I know, Im looking forward to seeing it myself." South Carolina's hospitals are in the midst of one of the largest workforce shortages ever. The VSI Project is designed to engage students interest in healthcare professions available in South Carolinas hospitals. A wide range of well-paying careers is available to students with the right educational background. Nurses, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, surgical technicians, pharmacists, and physicians are all in short supply and high demand. The University of South Carolina study revealed the state was short more than 5,000 nurses in 2002. That number is expected to triple by 2012. South Carolinas Virtual Surgery program began as a pilot in 2004 with Self Regional Healthcare and two high schools in the surrounding area. It was modeled after a similar program in Rhode Island and promoted by the American Hospital Association. In 2006-07, Palmetto Health Baptist and Upstate Carolina Medical Center are on tap as hosting hospitals. The surgical department at Upstate Carolina Medical Center was very enthused and influential in making application to the VSI program, Surgery Director Todd Hamrick said. Every hospital in the state was given the opportunity to participate, but we stayed on top of the process because there is a particular need here in the Upstate for this type of healthcare career program. In addition, some of my staff was part of the curriculum writing team for this project which says a lot of their professionalism and dedication. Schools to see the Upstate Carolina Medical Center program are Floyd D. Johnson Technology Center, Clover High School, Rock Hill Applied Technology Center, Northwestern High School, Fort Mill High School, Blacksburg High School, Cherokee Technology Center, Gaffney High School, Union County Career and Technology Center, RD Anderson Applied Technology Center, and Dorman High School. The VSI Project is an opportunity for students to learn about healthcare careers and the education they need to get into a university or technical college training program, says SCHA President Thornton Kirby. VSI also supports Personal Pathways to Success, a program created by recent state legislation. In 2005, Governor Mark Sanford passed the S.C. Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA), designed to give students the educational tools needed to build successful futures. The act sets up the system Personal Pathways to Success, which helps students plan their high school courses and explore career options through hands-on work experience opportunities. Healthcare careers are a major opportunity in our state. Theyre exciting, well-paying careers and readily available to young people with the right educational background, says Nancy Allen of the South Carolina Department of Education. Health Science is one of the 16 career clusters in Personal Pathways to Success. Students interested in the healthcare field can choose a career major in this cluster and replace some general high school elective courses with classes geared toward health care. Also, students can get work experience with businesses and local institutions that partner with schools. The VSI Project is a great complement to what were hoping to achieve, Allen says. One of the first of its kind in the U.S., The VSI Project is the brain child of SCHA, charged with helping its member hospitals develop the skilled workforce so desperately needed today and in the future. Along with nurses, other healthcare professions such as medical technologists, health information technicians, physical therapists and even physicians are in short supply and high demand. SCHA Director of Workforce Education Services, Lara Hewitt, says that beyond traditional jobs like a doctor or nurse, most teenagers are unaware of the opportunities within hospitals. "They don't know that some careers, like a surgical technologist, can be had with as little as 18 months at a local technical college. We can get the message out through high-tech field trips like The VSI Project."
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