PATH Program Celebrates 5 Graduates in Cohort 11

The Beaufort Memorial PATH Program (People Achieving Their Highest) celebrated a major milestone on Dec. 10, recognizing five graduates in its 11th cohort and honoring a newly certified Patient Care Technician.

The graduation ceremony held at the Port Royal Medical Pavilion highlighted the health system’s growing investment in healthcare career development and its commitment to strengthening the healthcare workforce in the Lowcountry.

Empowering Team Members Through Career Advancement

Graduates in Cohort 11 completed specialized internal tracks to prepare them for their essential clinical and support positions across the health system:

Clinical Medical Assistants

• Tiffany Grober
• Tyianna McKoy
• Fairanisha Scott
• Grace Wright

Central Sterile Processor

• Kendra Glover

In addition to the graduates, Ashley Sgro-Chiang, CPCT, was officially pinned during the ceremony after earning her national Patient Care Technician certification.

Investing Through Career Pathways

Beaufort Memorial President and CEO Russell Baxley emphasized the organization’s commitment to employee growth and long-term career development.

“This program represents helping our people grow. We are investing in you because you’re investing in us as an organization,” he said.

He described the PATH program as a flexible career highway or interstate with “on” and “off” ramps, where participants drive their achievement and can pursue their goals at their own pace.

“The great thing about the PATH program is that it doesn’t have to stop today; it creates opportunities for you to get on when you want, get off when you want, and then get right back on,” he said. “It offers an opportunity for you to grow and do something different within this organization, that I believe truly makes a difference in people’s lives.”

Cohort 12 and Continued Education

Each PATH graduation ceremony also welcomes new participants to the program; during the Dec. 10 ceremony, eight Beaufort Memorial employees officially signed on to Cohort 12, pursuing pathways to become Clinical Medical Assistants and Patient Care Technicians.

Additionally, three individuals entered into external nursing programs at the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) and the University of South Carolina-Beaufort (USCB), while three others continued their external pathways at TCL and Galen College of Nursing.

Karen Carroll, CNP, RN, NEA-BC, Beaufort Memorial Chief Nursing Officer, encouraged graduates to continue pursuing their ambitions.

“Never let yourself get in the way of your future,” she said. “If you have the ambition, pursue it.”

Strengthening the Lowcountry Healthcare Workforce

Since its inception, the PATH program has supported 109 graduates, offering scholarships, clinical training, traditional education and non-traditional financial assistance. The program plays a key role in building a sustainable, skilled healthcare workforce for the Lowcountry by promoting internal advancement and employee retention.

Anyone interested in learning how they can join the team at Beaufort Memorial and grow their career through the PATH program should visit BeaufortMemorial.org/PATH.