Three years ago, the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN) recognized an immense need for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) in the state of South Carolina. We embarked on a journey to offer DSP training to high school students and successfully got approval from the Department of Education to offer this certification under the Health Science umbrella open to all CTE schools throughout South Carolina. For the past two years, this program has been successfully piloted in 2 high schools, and now we are ready to make it available to all schools across the state. Enroll in our session to learn about this valuable program and the steps to take in order to become a Training Site for the High School DSP Credential.

Pam Wilhelm, RNC, teaches the DSP and Clinical Studies classes at Daniel Morgan Technology Center. She was instrumental in assisting with the development of the DSP pilot program, partnering with DDSN and Charles Lea Center. Ms. Wilhelm recognizes the importance of offering this innovative health science certification to high school students, and looks forward to assisting other schools in implementing this viable program across South Carolina