Meeting a need: Buckeye Career Center will build addition to house its medical programs

Jon Baker, The Times-Reporter
Updated ·4 min read

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ Buckeye Career Center officials hope to break ground later this year on a 11,000-square-foot addition that will house its growing medical programs for high school students and adults.

"My whole goal in this program is to give you a leg up," said Lucas Grove, instructor for the introduction to nursing program. "When you do get to college, you should be ahead of everybody else, and I think that with this addition and everything that we're doing, we're heading in the right direction."

Lucas Grove demonstrates the capabilities of an Anatomgage Table – a specialized medical device designed to enhance medical teaching and learning capabilities at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia. Among other things, the table allows a mock autopsy to be performed three-dimensionally without the use of a cadaver. Looking on are BCC students Brooklyn Hall and Dawson Harvey, both of Newcomerstown High School.

In November, the career center received a $2.8 million grant through the State of Ohio Facilities Construction Commission's Career Technical Construction Program to help pay for the facility. The grant program was designed to help meet the need for workers in high-need areas in Ohio.

The school will contribute $3.1 million, with the money coming from its building fund and general fund.

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The one-story addition on the west side of the current building will house a working clinic, four large classroom-lab areas and a smaller lab to provide space for Buckeye's introduction to nursing, medical assisting and pharmacy technician programs that make up what officials call their medical academy.

A walkway and greenspace at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia is slated to become the new health care learning center.
A walkway and greenspace at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia is slated to become the new health care learning center.

Renovation of the current space will provide housing for next year’s new dental assisting program for high school students.

"We're really excited about what that's going to allow us to do to move that medical academy forward," said Buckeye Superintendent Bob Alsept.

Current space wasn't designed for medical programs

The three programs are housed on the second floor of the current building, built in 1976. Alsept said the area was never designed for medical programs. The rooms are cramped. Some areas are separated by partitions, and it can get noisy when two classes are meeting in adjoining spaces at the same time.

Heather Hershman, a student in the adult dental assisting program at Buckeye Career Center, assumes the role of a patient as Crystal Polen, left, and Aubrey Taylor work on her. Polen is a dental assistant, while Taylor is a student. Polen said at one time the classroom held up to 30 students in one sitting, in addition to dentistry chairs and equipment.

"We just felt like moving forward, that is such a high-need profession," the superintendent said. "It's so important to our area. The board really felt it was time to come into the modern era, and really increase our teaching abilities.

Students have access to the latest technology

The coursework for all juniors entering Buckeye's medical academy is similar. They learn medical terminology and prepare to take the State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA) test, which allows them to work in long-term care and other medical facilities. In their senior year, they go for specialized instruction in one of the three programs in the academy.

Pharmacy tech students Brianna Burdett, left, of Claymont High School, and McKenzie Stubbins of Dover High School practice dispensing pills, while Liberty Humerickhouse of Dover High School the role of a customer, at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia.
Pharmacy tech students Brianna Burdett, left, of Claymont High School, and McKenzie Stubbins of Dover High School practice dispensing pills, while Liberty Humerickhouse of Dover High School the role of a customer, at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia.

"A lot of our seniors work right now," Alsept said. "Once they get that STNA, they are very employable. A number of them will get their STNA. They'll go into nursing, but they'll be able to work and earn money while they're going to nursing school. It really is a very flexible program."

Students in the program have access to the latest technology, including an Anatomage Table, a piece of equipment where they can do virtual dissections with 3-D images of human bodies.

Currently, there are 46 juniors and 46 seniors enrolled in the medical academy. Of the seniors, 26 are in introduction to nursing, 15 in medical assisting and five in the pharmacy technician program. Alsept noted that 48 sophomores have already applied for the medical academy for the next school year.

He anticipates that even more students will enroll once the addition is finished.

Instructor: 'I'm excited about it'

Instructors at Buckeye are looking forward to its completion.

"I'm excited about it. I think it'll be great for our kids and for the future of our health care professionals," said Michelle Loibl, pharmacy tech and STNA instructor.

Desiree Schmuck, of Hiland High School, learns about the inner workings of a cow's heart, at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia.
Desiree Schmuck, of Hiland High School, learns about the inner workings of a cow's heart, at Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia.

Added Crystal Polen, dental assisting instructor for the adult program, "It's going to mean a lot. We're going to have a lot more area to work with. Our lab right now is pretty small."

There will also be more room when the high school dental assisting program starts, she said.

Alsept anticipates that the new addition will be finished in the fall of 2025 or the spring of 2026.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Grant will help fund Buckeye Career Center's medical programs addition