PHOTO: Four graduates of the MST Fast Track Program at the FDTC Hartsville Site will be assigned to Cheraw and Darlington facilities after their on-the-job training. The graduates will assist with staffing needs for McLeod Health in those service locations.
FLORENCE, S.C. (July 8, 2019) – Two years after launching, the MST Fast Track Program continues to place Florence-Darlington Technical College (FDTC) students into the workforce at McLeod Health.
The MST Fast Track Program launched in 2017 and is a partnership between FDTC’s Corporate Workforce and Development, McLeod Health, Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments, SC Works and Eckerd. The program is designed for individuals who aspire to become a Medical Surgical Technician at McLeod Health.
“As a major healthcare employer in the Pee Dee, McLeod counts on our college to support their workforce pipeline,” said Dr. Mark Roth, FDTC Vice President of Manufacturing and Technology. “The MST program does a good job in meeting that need, and it produces well trained candidates who can fill critical positions in McLeod’s organization.”
The program launched with an initial $100,000 grant awarded by the Pee Dee Workforce Development Board to McLeod Health. Since then, several cohorts of the program have been funded by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and FDTC’s Workforce Scholarship funds.
In November of 2018, the first cohort completed the program. Since its inception, 76 students have successfully completed the program, and 63 are still employed by McLeod Health. The MST Fast Track Program boasts an impressive 85% success rate and a 82.8% retention rate since its launch.
The program’s course outline includes 60 hours in the classroom, 20 hours in a lab, 40 hours of clinical rotation in an extended care facility, and 144 hours of on the job training at McLeod Health.
Following completion of the program, participants are eligible for a full-time job as a Medical Surgical Technician at McLeod Health, and they will also receive a Nursing Assistant Certificate of Completion, which will allow them to take the State Certification exam.
Student must have an accredited high school diploma or GED, and they must meet WIOA eligibility requirements.
For more information on the MST Fast Track Program, call 843-777-4551 or email askrecruiting@mcleodhealth.org.
General