JACKSONVILLE, Texas — Jacksonville ISD is giving high school students the opportunity to get hands on experience in the medical field through a shadowing program at UT Health Jacksonville and Christus Mother Francis hospitals.
“Our program is four years, they start as freshmen and then their junior year, if they want to pursue the senior class," Health Science teacher Erin Reynolds said. "Based on their grades, and their attendance and discipline and teacher recommendations, they can get into our program."
19 students will spend the entire fall semester at UT Health Jacksonville, and spring semester at Christus Mother Francis shadowing people in various departments throughout the hospitals. Students will work twice a week to get a better idea of what medical specialty they might pursue.
“I've always been interested by pediatric oncology, so I knew being in a medical program would help me see if I really wanted to be that or if I was open to other careers,” JISD senior Cheyenne Nash said.
For other students, they have already used their experience to rule out some career paths.
“[In] pharmacy there's a lot of math involved that I did not know existed. That's not for me,” JISD senior Autumn Terrel said.
The hospital staff says they enjoy the opportunity to grow connections with students that may one day work in the Jacksonville area.
“I just get super excited about giving back to the community and having these children come here, and possibly come back and work in our community," UT Health Jacksonville Chief Nursing Officer, Jana Bateman, said. "It's really given me a chance to get more involved and see what all the students do, and to help them be successful.”
Reynolds believes this experience is unparalleled in the process of education these students about the medical field.
“We can talk all day in the classroom and in the books and until they see it for real, and they get to smell the smells, and see the sights and hear the people and see the conversations. They don't really know. So the real life experience, to me is the best part of our program,” Reynolds said
Jacksonville ISD also offers similar opportunities to students who want to be EMT’s.
