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Paved by Passion: Pathway Program Supports Dreams and Development

Initiatives which first focused on nursing have now expanded to include many roles that are in high demand

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Burlington, VT.  Nearly three dozen employees from hospitals throughout University of Vermont Health Network graduated from the health system’s Pathway Program this month.

 Two years after UVM Health Network partnered with Vermont State University to revive the school’s Respiratory Therapist program – ailing amid low visibility and awareness of the career path – employees from UVM Health Network - Alice Hyde Medical Center and CVMC are the first graduates of the health system’s RT Pathway Program.

“There are people who this program can provide not just fulfillment but also financial stability, and change their life,” said Blacker. “I think the program is a beautiful thing. It makes me proud to work for a system that does things like this.”

 For more than 13 years, Kirstan Dresser of Dannemora, New York has filled numerous clinical care roles at University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH). Dresser has also dreamed of following in the footsteps of her mother, Joni Spellman, who served as clinic coordinator and scheduler for CVPH’s General Surgery office.

Kirstan Dresser, Surgical Technician

 For 17 years, Brittany Viens of Barre, Vermont, specialized in veterinary anesthesia before choosing to prioritize her son over a career that routinely demanded 50 to 60-hour workweeks.

Brittany Viens, LPN