Medical course enrollment sees healthy growth through LPS Focus Programs

Northwest High School students Kailee and Hathaway are showcasing why health sciences classes at Lincoln Public Schools have a strong enrollment heartbeat.
 
The juniors are part of a growing number of students who are taking medical-based classes through LPS Focus Programs. Two of the school district’s largest programs are located on the campuses of Northwest with its Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program and The Career Academy at Southeast Community College. Both are expanding in encouraging ways this year.
 
Kailee and Hathaway said they are excited to attend the Bryan College of Health Sciences Focus Program. Kailee is interested in exploring a medical career like sonography, and Hathaway is curious about the fields of sports medicine, nutrition and exercise science.
 
“I know I want to do something in health sciences, and this seemed like a good way to get a foundation in those types of careers,” Hathaway said. “It’s been great. I’ve really liked the classes.”
 
“I wanted to learn more about medical fields,” Kailee said. “This has been a good way to start that.”
 
Katherine Karcher said she is happy to watch the focus program’s footprint increase. Karcher is director of high school outreach programs at Bryan College of Health Sciences and oversees the course structure at Northwest. The program began its inaugural year in 2022-23 with 14 students, and will have 53 registered this fall.
 
“The students this year seem very excited about being part of this focus program!” Karcher said. “Students are eager to see their own names go up on our Wall of Completion, and I think they’re looking forward to sharing this experience with more of their peers this year.”
 
Juniors and seniors can enter the focus program after filling out an application. They must have a minimum 2.75 grade point average to be accepted.

Eight students were the program’s first graduates last year, and 14 seniors are on track to complete their pathways next spring. Thirty-nine students are joining them for first-year classes this fall.
 
Students smiled one morning as they worked with instructors Julia Phoenix and Erin Roubal in Basic Nursing Assistant (BNA) skills labs. In room 323, Phoenix showed a group how to help a patient walk by wrapping a specialized supportive gait belt around their chests. In room 302, Roubal watched Kailee and Hathaway successfully assist mannequin patients in hospital beds with an activity checklist.
 
“I really like how hands-on the classes are,” Kailee said. “It’s nice.”
 
“I like learning all of the medical terms, and it’s been nice to begin to learn things that relate to what you want to do for a career,” Hathaway said.
 
Karcher said Kailee, Hathaway and their classmates are benefiting in many ways from the program.
 
“For students who aspire to become healthcare professionals someday, earning college credits in these classes during high school is a huge advantage, both from cost-saving and time-saving standpoints,” Karcher said. “Even if students don’t know if they want to go into healthcare, the learning opportunities they have as part of this focus program pathway can open their eyes to so many possibilities and offer them essential skills to be successful in any career.”
 
Students are experiencing those same benefits at The Career Academy’s health sciences pathway, where enrollment numbers are also upbeat. There were 71 students in the pathway in 2016-17, and that number swelled to 156 in 2020-21. There were 184, 181 and 178 students registered over the next three years, and there are 208 who are taking health sciences classes this fall.
 
Adyson and Kristeen said they are happy to begin their medical journeys at TCA. Adyson is a senior at Southwest High School and Kristeen is a senior at Lincoln High.
 
“I wanted to join the health sciences pathway because I want to be a labor and delivery nurse,” Adyson said. “I wanted to get started early so I could get more stuff done in college.”
 
“I chose this because I’m planning on being a physician assistant,” Kristeen said. “I like helping people and I want to get my license.”
 
The TCA pathway is open to juniors and seniors and offers hands-on training and field trips to area medical sites. Students can also earn certified nursing assistant (CNA) and emergency medical technician (EMT) endorsements.
 
Adyson and Kristeen joined fellow CNA students in a skills lab on the second floor of the building one morning. They helped mannequin patients by brushing their teeth, giving them drinking water and replacing their bed sheets.
 
At the same time, students in Vanessa Poulsen’s anatomy and physiology course spent a portion of their day identifying specific bones in the human body. They pointed to the ulna (part of the forearm), tibia (lower leg) and scapula (shoulder blade) of miniature plastic skeletons as Poulsen quizzed them.
 
Kristeen said the hands-on nature of health sciences classes at TCA was one reason why enrollment was rising.
 
“I like the labs and working with the patients,” Kristeen said. “It’s fun to learn that way. I also really like meeting new people and making new friends.”
 
Kailee, Hathaway, Adyson and Kristeen said they are also well aware of the future career opportunities. According to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, there were 140,895 people employed in healthcare and social assistance jobs in Nebraska in 2020. That total is expected to rise to 155,507 by 2030.
 
Hathaway said LPS is helping people build healthy career plans with the expertise found at places like Northwest and TCA.
 
“I’m really happy these classes are here for us,” Hathaway said.
 
LPS students and families wanting to learn more about how to customize their high school experience with LPS Focus Programs can visit our website at https://home.lps.org/focus/.
 
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