Health care is one of the largest industries in Greater Gainesville. The Academy of Health Professions at Gainesville High School works to provide quality professionals for the field.
by Celia Goodyear
A career academy magnet program, its focus is to provide experience for students interested in pursuing health-related careers. This is done with technical training and learning opportunities in both the classroom and clinical settings.
Thirty-year history
The Academy of Health Professions began in 1993 as the Institute of Health Professions and offered just two programs, certified nursing assistant and dental aide. Now, it is recognized as a four-year academic intensive medical preparatory academy.
According to Director Margaret Scarborough, it gives students the contact hours and pre-med foundation to pursue their chosen careers in college.
“Our students have advanced on to become nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, physician assistants, dentists, physicians, nurses, physical therapists, paramedics, pharmacists, health educators, case managers and more,” she said. “One of our seniors is currently enrolled in the biomedical equipment technician program through Santa Fe College. Last year we graduated our first dental assistant.”
Scarborough is a registered nurse and former teacher.
“This is a unique academy; students are dealing with actual patients,” said Scarborough. “We expect exemplary behavior at all times. Students must successfully complete – C or higher – [the following] courses to progress to the next level.”
Over their four years of the program, the students take many science classes. These courses include the core classes of biology honors, physics honors, chemistry honors and anatomy and physiology honors, as well as special courses like medical skills, health anatomy honors, health science foundations honors and senior clinical.
Students also need a solid foundation in reading for the two college courses the curriculum includes.
Community relationships
A benchmark of the program is the clinical work students do with real patients. They work with different local facilities including HCA North Florida Regional Hospital, The Village, Walgreens Pharmacy, Request Physical Therapy, Shands at the University of Florida, Gainesville Dental Associates and Santa Fe College.
To find out where students might gain real-world experience, Scarborough said the school relies on the community and feedback from facilities to tell them where they are needed.
“Students graduate with 80-200 contact hours, depending on clinical. Patient contact hours are needed to apply to many medical programs,” she said. “It is a head start and it looks great on a college application.”
All the students are also members of the Health Occupations Students of America, a career-themed organization. Through it, they can compete in regional and state competitions.
Bright Future Ahead
In its 30-year history, the academy has grown and continues to adapt to meet the needs of the community and the changes in the medical field. Despite those changes, Scarborough still keeps things focused on students’ needs and the requirements necessary to maintain it.
“The success of this academy today is the result of collaborative efforts over a number of years with two other nurses, Janine Plavac and Mary Beth Russo, who shared the same vision with me,” said Scarborough. “We were a team of ‘old school nurses’ with a vision to put excellence at the bedside. We faced challenges, as I do today.”
For more information about the Academy of Health Professions at Gainesville High School, go to: https://www.sbac.edu/Page/9779.