Top of the Class: PATH Program's Education Team
September 2, 2025
Skilled, passionate educators team up to support the growing PATH program
When a cohort of students finishes its track in the Beaufort Memorial PATH (People Achieving Their Highest) program, it’s an exciting milestone and a huge cause for celebration: applause, hugs, awards – even cake to commemorate the occasion.
That milestone isn’t just monumental for each individual graduate, but for the program as a whole, which draws on the knowledge and passion of a flexible team behind the scenes.
Healthcare is a hard industry. The PATH program, born out of the COVID-19 pandemic’s exacerbation of existing staffing shortages in the industry, was Beaufort Memorial’s long-term solution for relieving some of that stress.
It wasn’t just the nursing staff that was affected, but support staff, too: phlebotomists, EKG technicians, medical assistants and more.
"When we don’t have that level of support staff, the responsibility falls on the nurse," said Joy Solomon, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, Director of Education & Workforce Development at Beaufort Memorial. "Those duties are still owed to the patient. So, how do we make that happen?"
It was a team effort from the very beginning, Joy said, and has remained that way.
At Beaufort Memorial, a team of skilled, passionate educators comes together to move the PATH program forward and provide a stout support system for the students who have taken the leap to go back to school.
Students may beam during their cohort’s graduation – but this team behind the scenes is just as excited.
Investing in the Workforce
The PATH program offers a variety of internal pathways at Beaufort Memorial, as well as assists employees pursuing nursing or other healthcare careers through an accredited university program.
Beaufort Memorial employees are eligible to apply to the program after 90 days of employment, and receive access to career counseling, financial wellness resources and in-house training, as well as scholarship opportunities covering tuition, childcare and “gap” funding, as well as flexible scheduling to allow them to accommodate classes while continuing to work.
PATH clinical instructor Mary Anne McNamee, MA, RN, MedSurg-BC, NPD-BC. said that Beaufort Memorial’s dedication to investing in its employees was what drew her to the organization, which she joined in 2023.
Duties Beyond PATH
The diverse and motivated team behind the scenes is wearing lots of hats – a whole wardrobe filled to the brim of Beaufort Memorial hats.
"Outside of PATH, we’re all constantly moving and shaking," Joy said. The education department consists mainly of masters’ degreed registered nurses, she added, so teaching clinical skills for the program’s internal pathways is within the group’s scope of competency. And it’s a lot of work.
"This department doesn’t just oversee PATH, but the education for all units. We all pitch in based on what our background entails, and we also manage the education for the current staff," explained clinical instructor Melissa Bramblett, MSN, RN, who began as an educator in August following her graduation with a master’s in nursing education.
The education team plays a vital role in every department at the hospital, as well as new nurse orientation. These educators have a teaching role, course facilitation responsibilities, test reviews, skills labs, coaching, clinical rotations, and the list goes on.
"The PATH program is building the caliber of Beaufort Memorial employees. When you build the caliber of employees, it's an intervention that is going to improve the quality of care, improve patient outcomes and experience. To me, that is the true value of the program."
— Mary Ann McNamee, RN
The program’s pass rate is a staggering 97%—20% higher than the National Healthcareer Association’s national average. Students are clearly working hard, and so is the team behind them.
The Real Reward
Coming back to school isn’t an easy decision, something Melissa said she understood from personal experience.
"These students, they have families. They have full-time work," she said. "I know how hard it is to get through it as an adult with all of the other responsibilities in life, so it’s exciting to see them accomplish something they’re excited about."
Seeing the students achieve their goals makes the long hours and the headaches all worth it. It’s not just the end goal that is rewarding, though. Simply making the decision to start on the pathway is the first celebration.
"It takes courage to sign on, and when they get into the program itself, it’s like confidence, relief and joy on steroids," Joy said. "We feel like we took the test and passed. That’s the first layer of ‘rewards’ – coming to the program."
And, of course, graduation is a huge milestone, and then the certification exam. Being able to celebrate the successes is what it’s all about, and it makes everything worth it for the team.
"It’s everything to us," Joy added. "That’s not just my joy, either – we all have that same passion. Their heart is right there, too."
Growing and Adapting
As educators, Mary Anne said, it has been crucial to adapt to best fit the needs of the workforce, its students, Beaufort Memorial and the community.
"Fifty percent of the education is online, and we are coming in as educators to supplement that education and add to it," she explained. "We’re looking at how people learn and trying to devise more strategies to help them master this new information and skills."
The program added an Endoscopy Technician track for its eighth cohort and began a partnership in early 2025 with the Beaufort County School District.
The team is committed to the growth of the program, said nurse liaison Katie Howell, MSN, RN, who works externally for the education department and PATH program to make connections with high school students interested in healthcare careers.
"We have a phenomenal team here. Everyone’s a hard worker, a go-getter and eager to help the PATH program grow and assist wherever they can. They’re all rooting for every single person in the program and are their biggest fan," she said.
The faces behind the scenes know how tough the industry is, and how much courage, drive and support it takes to move forward in a student’s education journey.
"Do it scared – we’ve got your back," Joy said. "If a student is willing to put forth the effort, we will help walk them to the finish line, and they won’t find a greater organization with a better investment in their staff. We have a team of excellent educators who have the expertise, academic preparation and the heart to do it."
This article was published in the Report to the Community 2024 released in July 2025.
