Providing the healthcare industry with qualified workers from their Health Sciences program for over 10 years is one of Quitman High School’s best kept secrets. QHS’s Health Sciences program is currently led by QHS alumni Brittany Emerson, who took over in 2012. With around 60 students currently in the program, Ms. Emerson hopes to help address some of the shortages by providing students who are ready to go into the industry, some as soon as they finish high school.
The Health Sciences Program currently offers certifications in Pharmacy Technician and Clinical Medial Assistance. The Pharmacy Technician program teaches students everything they need to know to become a certified pharmacy technician. Cheyanne Williams, a 2020 QHS graduate, received her pharmacy technician certification in June of 2020. She is currently working as a pharmacy technician for a CVS pharmacy while she attends college at SFA. Williams said that the Health Sciences curriculum at Quitman prepared her for her college career, in addition to providing her a practical way to pay for college. Williams said that “a lot of the material we covered then is now coming back in my college classes. I’m sometimes steps ahead of the rest of my classmates.” Not only is Williams ahead of her classmates in the classroom, she also makes “more than the average college student.”
Ms. Emerson said that the number of students in the Pharmacy Technician program varies each year. Once the student completes the coursework, the school will pay for the student to take the certification test once.
The newest certification program is the Clinical Medical Assistant (CMA) program, which began this past fall. Students who receive this certification may be hired to work in doctor’s offices performing a variety of duties including noting patient histories, measuring vital signs like blood pressure, prepping samples for lab tests, changing sutures and much more. This certification provides an all-around skill set for students who wish to go into the medical field. QHS also pays for a student to take the certification exam upon completion of the program’s coursework.
Given the popularity of the Health Sciences program, Ms. Emerson was able to add Ms. Hannah Mckinney to teach basic health science classes for the 2021-2022 school year. Formerly the school nurse, Ms. Staci Vander Schaaf will take her place in the classroom next year as the Health Sciences program expands even further.
Students learn practical skills through these course offerings, such as how to draw blood, take blood pressure, and learn medical terminology. Students also have the opportunity to attain “Basic Life Support” CPR certification through the American Heart Association. The “Basic Life Support” certification includes learning how to perform CPR on infants, youth and adults. Forty-five students received this certification in the 2021-2022 though the Health Sciences program.
In addition to the basic courses and the two certification programs, the Health Sciences program has partnered with UT Health in Quitman for a Practicum class. In 2021-2022, 10 students were accepted into this practicum and worked at the hospital two days a week during 4th and 5th periods. UT Health Quitman’s CEO, Jared Smith, was excited to see the students at the hospital. “I’m proud to see UT Quitman Hospital being part of the education and development of our high school students. I’m hoping that students are able to better know the career paths that they want to pursue by spending time with us. Our staff are excited to be a part of the student experience.”
During the course of their practicum, the students will spend about two days in each department. Each student will have the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with health care professionals from many different areas, with the chance to learn about different positions in each field. This allows students to explore different career paths, and may spark an interest in a new direction for the student.
For more details on the Health Sciences program, click on this link.