Carteret County

Carteret Community College believes in learning by doing. Travelers on Blue Cross NC’s Extra Miles Tour were able to witness this philosophy in practice during our visit with the college’s leadership and students.

Nestled on the shore of Bogue Sound near Emerald Isle, Carteret Community College’s curriculum offers practical instruction to meet the needs of the region. Our tour included a visit with students in the school’s boat building course, one of only three in the state. We were on hand to witness an important moment: When students flipped a newly constructed boat hull over to its proper position for the first time. Students and their instructor celebrated the occasion with a brief break for pizza.

As a popular tourist destination, the area around Morehead City sees its population swell during peak travel months. And beach locations generate plenty of calls for emergency services. Like most communities around the country, Carteret County struggles to draw EMS professionals to meet the need, and the college must compete with nursing schools for potential students. Carteret Community College has developed a cutting-edge EMS training program that uses experiential learning models to provide hands-on training in the most realistic setting possible. An ambulance equipped with live streaming capabilities allows students in a classroom to watch classmates engage in mock emergency medical drills, followed by group critique sessions designed to further hone their skills. Simulated hospital rooms feature computer-controlled mannequins that present realistic vital signs, with students monitoring airway capacity, bowel sounds, heart rhythms and other vital stats.

Our visit to the college concluded with a dinner prepared by the school’s culinary arts students. Many of those students were freshmen who began the program just weeks earlier. If our meal was any indication, they have certainly been doing their homework.

Carteret Community College has established itself as a workforce incubator, positioning Carteret County to meet the demands of the region’s growth.