WEST COVINA, Calif.—Success Education Colleges (SEC) recently recognized Totally Kids as its 2018 Clinical Partner in Success. A prestigious distinction given to one of SEC’s clinical partners each year, the honor underscores the ongoing clinical partnership between the Colleges and Totally Kids, a pediatric subacute center located in Sun Valley, Calif.
“Thank you for this honor and thank you for building great nurses,” said Michelle Nydam, administrator and owner of Totally Kids, who accepted the award at SEC’s holiday celebration at the Pacific Palms Resort on December 14. “You are building people who will work for us tomorrow,” Nydam shared. “Whenever we have the opportunity to hire individuals from North-West College or Glendale Career College, we say, ‘Take them! Take them if you can get them!’ because we know they have a strong education, they have heart, and they will take excellent care of our kids.”
One of just five subacute pediatric hospitals in Southern California, Totally Kids is a 45-bed facility for infants and children often leaving a pediatric or neonatal intensive care unit. Reliant upon ventilators, feeding tubes, and dialysis machines, Totally Kids’ patients range in age from just a few months to 21 years. Totally Kids serves children with a variety of medical issues requiring long-term care, from congenital maladies or organ failure to spinal cord and brain injuries.
Success Education Colleges’ Vice President Lisa Fuerst presented the award to Nydam and her husband, Robert, saying, ”We want to recognize Totally Kids for not only being an outstanding health care facility, but also for their partnership in helping to shape the nurses of tomorrow.”
As a clinical partner, Totally Kids provides hands-on learning opportunities for North-West College and Glendale Career College students during the clinical portion of their programs. In turn, hospital staff can access a variety of training and short-term programs through the Colleges—all designed to keep them on the leading edge of technological advancements and health care industry standards.
“It’s significant to be able to partner with a likeminded organization in Totally Kids to see lives changed for the better,” Fuerst said. “We are grateful they share our commitment to making a difference.”
