LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Lincoln’s newest school on the northwest edge of town will include a health sciences focus program, a collaboration with Bryan College of Health Sciences to offer dual-credit courses and a gateway into a variety of medical fields.
“This presents an incredible opportunity for our students to start out on a pathway toward some careers in medical sciences,” said Matt Larson, Lincoln Public Schools associate superintendent for instruction.
The new high school will include two labs similar to those at the Bryan college, where students can get certified as nurse assistants and learn anatomy and physiology, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
A hallmark of the new program will be dual-credit courses in anatomy and physiology, with access to the cadaver labs at Bryan, said James Blake, director of strategic initiatives and focus programs at LPS.
Officials also hope to create a mentoring program, pairing students with college students at Bryan, and offer shadowing experiences and internships at Bryan Hospital for students.
A course list has yet to be developed, but the program will offer phlebotomy training and officials expect introduction to health professions and medical terminology to be other dual-credit courses.
The courses will transfer to other colleges, although Bryan College of Health Service Provost Kelsi Anderson said officials hope students will choose to continue their education at Bryan. One advantage: Many medical schools are looking for dual credit from four-year colleges, she said.
Bryan College of Health Sciences had 790 students this fall, about 500 of them in the nursing program, though the college offers degrees in a number of other health-related fields, including pre-med majors.
The new LPS program is in keeping with the district’s decision to embed focus programs within the high schools, rather than have free-standing programs like the long-established science and arts and humanities programs.
The district recently announced another new focus program at Northeast High School, a partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources that will offer dual-credit courses, internships and hands-on experiences.
The Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program will open in the fall of 2022, when the first of two new high schools being built as part of a $270 million bond issue opens its doors.
Officials said it will complement, not compete with, the health sciences pathway at The Career Academy - one of the most popular of the program’s pathways where they’ve had to turn away students because of the demand.
“There’s plenty of space for both programs to exist,” Larson said. “They’ll provide students with more options than we currently provide.”
Many of the programs at The Career Academy focus more on technical degrees such as pharmacy technicians, physical therapy aides and medical assistants - all high-demand jobs. It also offers a path to certified nurse assistant certification and pre-nursing courses, as will the new program, Blake said.
The new focus program will provide a pathway for students interested in ultimately pursuing degrees in medicine or careers such physician assistants, he said.
The program will be open to 300 juniors and seniors, though LPS plans to work with Bryan officials to add medical-related and hands-on experiences as part of regular math, health and biology courses freshmen and sophomores take.
In a biology class, for example, LPS could add a unit on medical biology with hands-on experiences, Blake said. It will help students decide if the health field is something they’re interested in pursuing.
“If students plan on entering the medical field, it will be a perfect fit,” Blake said. “For students who don’t want a career in that area, those who do not see a medical career as their end goal, it will enhance their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.”
Bryan will offer discounted tuition, and scholarships will be available from a variety of sources, Blake said.
Like other focus programs, the program will be open to students across the district, and they could transfer to the northwest high school for their junior and senior years if they don’t already attend the school, Larson said.
“It’s just a great partnership, and we’re looking forward to it,” Larson said. “It’s a great example of the community working together to serve a variety of needs.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.