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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Regional nonpro ! t InterLink partners with local CTE programs to forecast employment recovery and growth. Below is their list of some of the most in-demand health care jobs in the North Central Texas Region and their salary ranges.
therapy aide/technician and apprentice medi- cal scribe and/or certi ! ed medical scribe, FISD’s health science department program director Jenni- fer Hanna said. Students who gain this experience while still in high school ! nd that it can help them more ! rmly decide on a career, she said. Students can also start working immediately in their ! eld, she said. FISD students already have the opportunity to choose frommultiple pathways in the Health and Sci- ence CTE program. Four di " erent medical certi ! ca-
FISD students in the health and science track take to earn dual-credit classes. The college’s program has more than tripled in student size over the last four years, according to department director Juli Westcott. The department o " ers ! ve academic tracks for stu- dents pursuing certi ! cates and/or occupational skills awards. Westcott explained students can often ! nish some of these programswithin a semester, whilewait- ing to get into some other health care program. “I see it as the foundation for their future,”Westcott said. “I really like to get people that think they want
Starting pay Experienced pay
Job title
POST HIGH SCHOOL CERTIFICATION
Medical Assistants Medical Records and Health Information Technicians Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
$40,133
$67,701
tions are available. In these programs students gain experience by work- ing with local hospitals and nursing homes and caring for actual patients. “It’s a great introduction,” Hanna said. “‘Grey’s Anatomy’ is … all they’ve seen, or they’ve only been to their pediatrician’s o # ce, sowe get to expose them to di " erent areas.”
to do health care, but [are] not sure. This is a good ‘let’s dip your toe in the water [program].’” The certi ! ed nurse assistant track is the department’s most popular program, with nearly 500 students, Westcott said. However, as demand has grown for phlebotomy techni- cians in the workforce, she said that track has led to students getting o " ered jobs. Westcott said the ! eld sees a “fairly high turnover” rate if people are not well trained. She also noted it is an important skill for people going into ! elds such as nursing and paramedicine.
$24,937
$44,114
“HEARING THERE WAS EXPERIENCE TIED TO THISMADE THE CLASS VERY APPEALING."
$26,555
$69,613
$21,129
$37,994
Nursing Assistants
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR EQUIVALENT
$22,429
$46,898
Pharmacy Technicians
One of FISD’s partners in its CTE programs is Baylor Scott & White-Centennial. Hospital President Ryan Gebhart said these students continue to reach out to him on a regular basis to get more opportunities to shadow or intern with the hospital. “Over this past year with the pandemic, some of the students just wanted to help, and it’s really motivated them even further to serve in health care as a profes- FISD’s CTE Center o " ers more than 30 programs of study, which in addition to health science includes information technology, hospitality and tourism, agri- culture and construction. High school students can take introductory classes starting their freshman year and sign up for advanced courses at the CTE Center as soon as their junior year. Thedistrict partnerswithCollinCollege too " er dual credit opportunities within the CTE programs. Dual- credit classes allow students to take classes during high school that also count as college credit. Some classes are taught at the CTE Center; others are taught at the Collin College Technical Campus in Allen. The college’s Health Professions Program is what sion someday,” he said. Providing a pathway ISABELLA SCUILLA, FRISCO ISD SENIOR
ASSOCIATE DEGREE
$48,414
$79,423
Respiratory Therapists Medical Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians Radiologic Technologists BACHELOR’S DEGREE
$31,245
$82,255
“You’re not going to have asmuch time as you think you would in nursing school to learn how to draw blood well,”Westcott said. Gaining experience Each certi ! cation o " ered in FISD has its own set of requirements. Students can do more than one certi ! - cation, if their schedule allows. For instance, students can spend their fall semester earning their certi ! ca- tion as a nursing assistant. The ! rst part of the course is lectures, and then students take what they’ve learned and apply it in nursing homes. Students need 40 hours in the ! eld before they can take the test to earn their certi ! cation. Most students who complete this certi ! cation are juniors, Hanna said. The spring semester is then spent with students working at local hospitals, Hanna said. This certi ! ca- tion allows students to land an entry level health care job right out of high school, she said. “It’s a stepping-stone before parents send their kids
$30,387
$47,524
$53,543
$100,076
Registered Nurses MASTER’S DEGREE Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
$25,184
$66,964
SOURCES: EMSI, TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, REGIONAL EMPLOYERS, INTERLINK BOARD AND TASK FORCES " COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER o " to college and they start majoring in these health care ! elds,” Hanna said. “It’s a win for us because they get exposure to the hospitals, and it’s win for the hospi- tals because we’re helping them.” At the hospitals, students can shadow a nurse or another patient care technician. They can also handle simple tasks such as bringing a blanket to a patient and working on their communication skills.
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