NWACC is collecting new or gently used healthcare scrubs to help students prepare for clinical rotations and their future careers in Northwest Arkansas medicine. The drive, organized by the college, accepts new or gently worn scrubs in all sizes to supply students entering its Nursing, Practical Nursing (LPN), Technical Nursing, and Allied Health programs at the Rogers campus. Staff, faculty, and community members can drop off donations from Monday through Friday at the Student Center, specifically Room 206 on the second floor. The door at Room 206 opens to a line of lockers used by instructors. The drive aims to fill those cubbies when students face the unexpected cost of buying uniforms for clinical practice hours. Hospitals and clinics in the region, including Northwest Health and St. Vincent’s, require students to wear professional attire during rotations, and budgeting for those expenses is often overlooked by students planning their first semesters. Students in these programs spend days in classrooms learning anatomy and pharmacology, but the hands-on experience requires stepping onto hospital floors. Without proper gear, a student might be sidelined from their clinical rotation until they can afford scrubs, delaying their graduation and entry into the local job market. “This is about getting students from the classroom to the bedside,” said a representative for NWACC Career Services. “We want to remove the barrier of $40 here or $50 there so they can focus on the patients.” NWACC is the premier institution for technical and healthcare training in Benton and western Washington counties. With healthcare growth driving the local economy, the college produces thousands of graduates annually who go on to work at Northwest Health, Banner Health, and the VA Medical Center. Employers in the area are seeing increased demand for certified nursing assistants, phlebotomists, and surgical technologists. The scrubs drive helps the college maintain a pipeline of qualified candidates ready to staff those shifts. If a local clinic or hospital has excess inventory or the desire to host a larger collection event for the student body, the college offers to work with those organizations to coordinate drop-off points. For anyone working in local treatment centers or holding onto sets of navy blue, teal, or black fabric they are no longer using, the donation box in the Student Center offers a way to give back to the workforce pipeline. NWACC students seeking assistance arranging a supply drive at their place of work or for more details on the collection schedule should reach out to Career Services at the college. **How to Donate** * **What:** New or gently used healthcare scrubs (all sizes). * **Where:** NWACC Student Center, Room 206
Source: Reddit Bentonville
