Forsyth Tech Wins $1.57 Million SimReady Health Grant

Forsyth Tech News  |  Healthcare Education

Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has received a $1,571,308 federal grant to launch SimReady Health, a five-year initiative that will complete its SimReady Hospital simulation center, add healthcare pathway navigators and deepen employer partnerships so more students can explore, enter and finish healthcare careers.

Most students choose a healthcare career before they have ever practiced a clinical skill or stepped inside a hospital. SimReady Health changes that order of events.

What the SimReady Health grant funds

The SimReady Health grant supports four connected strategies at Forsyth Tech. The first completes and operationally launches the SimReady Hospital, a high-fidelity simulation environment for career exploration, clinical skills development and workforce preparation. The second creates a Healthcare Exploration and Navigation Academy, giving students early chances to try healthcare work through simulation, meet employers and build an individualized plan around their strengths and career goals.

The third adds specialized healthcare pathway navigators, staff dedicated to helping students understand admissions requirements, prepare for selective programs and find alternative pathways when a different route fits better. The fourth expands employer partnerships, strengthening work-based learning and bringing experienced healthcare professionals in as instructors, mentors and clinical educators.

The federal Notice of Award was issued Sept. 23, 2026.

Why healthcare pathways are hard to navigate

Healthcare enrollment at Forsyth Tech has increased approximately 25 percent over the past five years. Getting from interest to credential is harder: competitive admissions requirements, limited clinical placements, faculty shortages and other barriers can make healthcare education difficult to navigate, and the healthcare student retention rate at Forsyth Tech currently sits at approximately 66 percent year over year.

SimReady Health treats that gap as a design problem. Earlier exposure, clearer admissions guidance and a named person to help students plan are meant to carry more students from first interest to a credential and a job.

“This investment will allow us to rethink how students experience healthcare education, beginning long before they enter a clinical program. By giving students hands-on opportunities to explore careers and personalized guidance to navigate their options, we can help more students complete their education and enter careers that are essential to the health and well-being of our communities.”

Dr. Janet Spriggs, president of Forsyth Tech

How the SimReady Hospital changes clinical learning

The SimReady Hospital is a high-fidelity simulation environment that will give students realistic clinical learning experiences across multiple healthcare disciplines. It supports clinical skills development, career exploration, admissions preparation and collaborative training that reflects the demands of modern healthcare work.

For students weighing programs such as nursing at Forsyth Tech or emergency medical services programs, simulation means testing a career before an application deadline forces the decision, and training alongside other disciplines the way the job actually works.

Who the initiative is designed to reach

SimReady Health seeks to expand opportunities for rural students and to improve persistence, credential attainment and placement into employment or continued education. Healthcare employers across North Carolina and the Piedmont Triad face ongoing shortages in nursing, allied health, emergency medical services and other fields, and the initiative is built to strengthen the region’s pipeline.

The work supports Forsyth Tech’s Vision 2030 strategic plan, Future-Ready by Design, which emphasizes flexible pathways, personalized student support and stronger alignment between credentials and workforce opportunities. Forsyth Tech intends to fold the initiative’s simulation, navigation and employer work into its ongoing operations, building a model that outlasts the grant period. Students can compare healthcare options in the Forsyth Tech program finder.

Frequently asked questions

What is SimReady Health?

SimReady Health is a Forsyth Tech initiative funded by a $1,571,308 federal Strengthening Institutions Program grant. It combines a simulation hospital, a healthcare exploration academy, pathway navigators and expanded employer partnerships to help more students enter and complete healthcare careers.

What is the SimReady Hospital?

The SimReady Hospital is a high-fidelity healthcare simulation environment at Forsyth Tech that provides realistic clinical learning experiences for students across multiple healthcare disciplines. It supports clinical skills development, career exploration, admissions preparation and collaborative training.

How much is the grant and how long does it last?

The award is $1,571,308 in first-year funding for a five-year initiative. The first-year funding period runs Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2027, and the overall project period extends through Sept. 30, 2031, subject to continued funding.

Who can benefit from SimReady Health?

The initiative is designed for students exploring or already pursuing healthcare at Forsyth Tech, including those who need help meeting competitive admissions requirements. It also seeks to expand opportunities for rural students and to improve persistence, credential attainment and job placement.

Which healthcare workforce needs does the initiative address?

Healthcare employers throughout North Carolina and the Piedmont Triad face ongoing workforce shortages in nursing, allied health, emergency medical services and other fields. SimReady Health is designed to strengthen the region’s pipeline of qualified healthcare professionals.

Future funding is contingent upon continued federal approval and satisfactory progress toward project goals.