A health services program at Bruton High School might expand to become a Governor’s Health Sciences Academy shared with Newport News Public Schools.
Representatives from both York County and Newport News school divisions were in Richmond on Thursday to present a proposal for an academy to the state Board of Education. The proposed Health Sciences Academy will be located at Warwick High School in Newport News and Bruton High, beginning this fall. It will have the capacity to eventually enroll 400 high school students, but can accommodate 150 in the first year.
In September, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) announced it would award grants of $10,000 to establish Governor’s Health Sciences Academies in eight regions. Divisions establishing the grants will partner with healthcare institutions and businesses. The academies will offer specialty programs within five career pathways: therapeutic services, diagnostic services, health informatics, support services and biotechnology research and development.
Bruton High has had a health care program for three years. Its existence gave the divisions a leg up in the application process, said Sandy Hespe, career and technical education instructional specialist for York County Schools. Newport News seemed like a natural partner due to its shared border with York County and its Riverside and Sentara facilities, she said.
The discussions began in the fall, soon after VDOE announced the grant program. Newport News Schools will serve as the fiscal agent for the academy if approved.
“Based on the business and community need for workers in the health care arena, we sort of responded, if you will, by saying we’re going to try to provide opportunities to our students,” Hespe said, adding the health field offers numerous potential careers, ranging from nurses and doctors to technicians and marketing executives.
In her presentation, Newport News’ CTE Instructional Supervisor Crystal Taylor said nearly 6,800 new health care positions are expected to open up on the Peninsula between 2010 and 2018. Nationally, health care industry jobs are estimated to make up 5.5 percent of the total workforce in 2018.
The academy will offer two career pathways to start: support services and therapeutic services. By 2015-16, diagnostic services, health informatics and biotechnology research and development pathways will be implemented.
The divisions will partner with higher education institutions Thomas Nelson Community College, Norfolk State University, Hampton University, Christopher Newport University and Old Dominion University. The academies will also work with the Peninsula Council for Workforce Development, the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and Riverside Health System. None of the partners will be directly funding the academy, but will provide a summer camp, internships, job shadowing, guest speakers, career fairs and more.
If approved, the academy will be open to Bruton and Warwick students, who will have to apply for admission to the program. The application process will require students to share why they’re interested in careers in the health care industry.
By graduation, they will have to take math and science courses every year of high school, maintain a minimum 2.7 grade point average, complete an internship, choose a health sciences pathway, earn an industry certification and at least nine transferrable credits and complete 200 hours of school and/or community service.
The academy courses will be offered as options for electives. For example, a ninth-grader at Bruton can currently sign up for “Introduction to Health and Medical Sciences.” The proposed courses include: “Exploratory Health and Medical Sciences,” “Medical Terminology,” “Computer Information System” and “Leadership Development.”
Students will have opportunities to earn industry certifications before graduation, preparing them to be more competitive in the workforce. Students could become certified medical assistants or nursing aides. They can also take the Virginia Workplace Readiness Skills Assessment or seek National Allied Health Registry certification.
Taylor and Hespe anticipate the presence of the academy will improve students’ academic achievement, increase completion of dual-enrollment courses, increase high school graduation rates and reduce dropout rates.
To recruit students, the CTE specialists plan to visit middle schools, host open houses and orientations, attend student and parent nights, host career fairs and more.
Hampton City Schools offered its own proposal for a Governor’s Health Sciences Academy, to open at Bethel High School in the fall. The proposals submitted are considered “first reviews.” Hespe said the board’s response was “overwhelmingly positive.”
The Board of Education will conduct a second review in April after the proposals have been evaluated by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
