CHILLICOTHE, Mo. — Over the past 12 months, Hedrick Medical Center accepted more than 70 students, from 14 different colleges, for clinical training. As part of the academic preparation for the health care profession, students must participate in hands-on clinical care of patients in various health care settings, under the supervision of staff at the facilities. The purpose of this in-depth clinical training is to provide these students with the extensive preparation they need before entering the workforce.

Students accepted into Hedrick Medical Center’s training program come from local colleges as well as from colleges around the country. The clinical experience can last anywhere between seven days and eight weeks. No matter how long the experience lasts, each student must go through orientation training, which consists of safety training, privacy training, infection control training, and respectful workplace training.

“Hedrick Medical Center’s mission, as part Saint Luke’s Health System, includes a commitment to the education of students in the communities we serve,” Lisa Hecker, director of human resources at Hedrick Medical Center, said. “We believe training these students is both a great responsibility as well as a great opportunity for our hospital. We take pride in our ability to prepare these students for the workforce, but at the same time, it allows us to recruit some of these students for future employment.”