Beaufort Memorial showcases PATH Center, giving employees and students a hands-on path into healthcare

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - Beaufort Memorial Hospital is highlighting a new workforce and training hub aimed at strengthening the future of healthcare in Beaufort County and the surrounding Lowcountry.

The hospital’s federally funded PATH Career Development Center, or People Achieving Their Highest, uses lifelike, AI-powered mannequins and simulated clinical settings to help current employees sharpen their skills.

It also introduces high school and college students to real-world medical scenarios before they ever work with real patients.

Training with lifelike mannequins

Inside the center, students and trainees work with high-tech mannequins that can move and talk, mimicking real patients.

Instructors build scenarios ranging from routine checkups to high-stakes emergencies.

“They’re going to go in and speak with the patient and find out what’s going on,” an instructor explained as trainees practiced decision-making and communication.

In one scenario, an instructor assessed a patient and escalated care.

“I think we have a medical emergency here and need to call 911,” another instructor said.

Hospital leaders say the simulations create an environment where learners can make mistakes safely and improve — without putting patients at risk.

A program that grew beyond hospital staff

Beaufort Memorial’s PATH program initially focused on internal career growth for employees. But that changed as partnerships expanded the center’s reach.

According to Beaufort Memorial CEO Russell Baxley, the goal is to show students what the work actually looks like — and how to get there.

“Really show them what a healthcare career is like and what it could be,” Baxley said. “Really showing them a path, no pun intended, on how to get there.”

Participants say the experience goes well beyond textbooks.

“We were commenting on how this never would have been available when we were in school,” one person said. “It was just textbooks, and you really can’t understand healthcare just through a textbook.”

New partnerships with local schools and USCB

The PATH Career Development Center opened in July 2024 and now serves as the hub for Beaufort Memorial’s education department and the PATH internal career growth program.

In early 2025, Beaufort Memorial and the Beaufort County School District launched a partnership that allows senior students to participate in PATH programming tuition-free, giving them early exposure to healthcare careers before heading off to college.

Beaufort Memorial also partnered with the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB), establishing the center as a satellite location for USCB’s nursing program.

The first nursing students were on campus in August 2025.

Hospital leaders say the partnerships are designed to grow the workforce locally and keep talent in the region.

“It’s just another example of how we are serving the community,” Baxley said. “That doesn’t mean just inside the four walls of the hospital but also growing the workforce and partnering with those in the community to do something unique and different.”

What’s next

Baxley said the hospital is continuing to look for new educational opportunities — both for current healthcare workers and students — to meet ongoing workforce needs across the Lowcountry.