PHOTO GALLERY | Bishop McCort, Conemaugh hospital teaming up to offer medical education
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Bishop McCort Catholic High School in Johnstown will offer a new pathway into health care careers starting this fall.
The school’s new partnership with nearby Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center was announced Thursday in the hospital’s atrium. It’s called the H.E.A.L. program, which stands for “Health Education and Learning.”
“This allows the next generation to take the next step and build upon what was already there,” rising senior Zach Jastrzab said.
Jastrzab, 17, plans to go to medical school after graduation and has his sights set on becoming a specialty doctor. He said the partnership with the hospital will set him on the right path.
“It’s probably one of the best things I could have hoped for,” Jastrzab said.
Bishop McCort teachers will lead the medical curriculum in the classroom, with Conemaugh staff lending a hand.
Thomas Smith, Bishop McCort principal and chief academic officer, said classes will begin in ninth grade with medical terminology, and will grow from there to include laboratory sciences, honors biology and more. There will also be opportunities for students to shadow hospital staff.
“The Bishop McCort community is proud to announce this partnership,” Smith said, adding that the initiative will jump-start careers for the area’s future.
Stephen Cotchen, a Bishop McCort biology teacher helping lead the initiative, said existing science education will be realigned with Conemaugh’s help to give students “real-world insights to the health care community.”
Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center CEO Rodney Reider said Thursday was “an exciting day” for “two storied organizations to come together to invest in our community” as an investment in both today and the future.
He also said the partnership will benefit Conemaugh through a new cohort of health care workers interested in living and working in their hometown.
Reider said there is a shortage in Pennsylvania of more than 21,000 registered nurses, 6,000 mental health specialists and 277,000 medical support staff positions.
PHOTO GALLERY | H.E.A.L. Program
Kris O’Shea, Conemaugh’s chief nursing officer, said she was excited about the initiative because health care professionals don’t often get to “break in at the high school level.”
She highlighted the numerous job opportunities Bishop McCort students could pursue at Conemaugh outside physician and nurse positions, such as a variety of laboratory jobs.
Gianna Trexler, a rising senior, described H.E.A.L. as a unique experience that she’s looking forward to being involved with. The 17-year-old plans to go into pediatrics and said the program will serve as college preparation for her.
“This is a great opportunity for everyone who wants to go into the medical field,” said rising sophomore Emma Rhodes, whose goal is to become a physician assistant.
