Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System has launched its healthcare high school with an inaugural class of 142 students and 37 staff mentors.
The Health Education and Learning High School holds classes on the campus of Houston-based Nimitz High School. It is a joint venture between Memorial Hermann and the Aldine Independent School District, with $31 million in funding from a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative to create high schools in urban and rural communities.
The high school aims to provide better opportunities for disadvantaged students and help address staff shortages.
"Education has been a long-standing focus for us," Memorial Hermann President and CEO David Callender, MD, told Becker's. "But we started to think about what more we could do. How do we best engage educators and students, especially those in disadvantaged situations? The idea is to create career pathways, provide wraparound services, and support additional education."
Classes began Aug. 12.
How it works
Students in the Aldine School District are introduced to the healthcare program in eighth grade. Memorial Hermann and Aldine representatives visit district schools to encourage students to join. Over the summer, interested students can attend a four-week program that provides an overview of hospital work, including orientation, Stop the Bleed training and emergency kits. Students spend two days in the classroom and two days at the hospital each week.
Once the school year begins, students enter their healthcare courses and choose from five pathways: nursing, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy, medical imaging and nonclinical administration.
The curriculum integrates healthcare topics into standard classes required for graduation.
"We have a team that collaborates with Memorial Hermann's education side and practitioners to integrate real-world examples, medical resources, readings and case studies across the curriculum," Adrian Bustillos, PhD, chief information officer of Aldine School District, said. "For example, in math, they might learn to calculate drip rates as part of their coursework. This helps students develop a deeper understanding of how healthcare professions work within a system."
Students also take specialized healthcare courses. This year, the courses include an introduction to health science and medical terminology.
As part of the program, students earn 15 to 24 dual college credits and work toward certification in their chosen pathway.
The classes are taught by career and technical education teachers, many of whom are former healthcare workers, Dr. Bustillos said. Two CTE teachers currently teach the specialized courses, but more instructors will be added as the inaugural class advances to the 11th and 12th grades. If additional teachers can't be found, Memorial Hermann will provide staff to facilitate the courses.
Upon graduation, Memorial Hermann has committed to hiring any students who want to work with the system.
"We hope they will, as they'll be familiar with our culture and people throughout their high school journey," Dr. Callender said. "However, they're not limited to working with us — they can join other healthcare institutions or pursue different careers. Whatever they choose, we believe they will be better prepared because of this program."
Best practices
Drs. Callender and Bustillos agree that a strong partnership is essential for opening a healthcare high school.
"It can't be overstated how important it is to have shared goals and enthusiastic partners," Dr. Callender said. "Create a shared vision for what you want to achieve, whether you're a high school working with a career partner or an organization like ours partnering with educators. For us, it was about impacting students, enhancing their chances for success and enabling them to qualify for direct employment with a high school education. We also aimed to provide opportunities for career growth and support. Beyond that, we saw the chance to address social determinants of health, health education and health equity issues. Having a shared vision with Aldine was powerful and motivated us as we moved forward."
A shared vision also facilitated collaboration between the two organizations.
"I truly feel like we're part of the Memorial Hermann team, and they're part of the Aldine team," Dr. Bustillos said. "Memorial Hermann's commitment goes beyond meeting once a week — they're in our buildings at least two to four times a month, planning, discussing and supporting student events."
Dr. Bustillos advised leading with "yes" when creating a healthcare high school.
"Too often, we say, 'no, that's not possible,' or, 'that's against our policy,'" he said. "But remember, policies are made by people, and those same people have the power to be change agents. Be open-minded, say 'yes,' and believe that anything is possible with the right people at the table."
What's next
The HEAL program is still evolving. Memorial Hermann is working to nearly double the number of mentors, and both organizations will soon start recruiting the second cohort of students. The second class of freshmen is expected to reach about 284 students, nearly double the inaugural cohort. By 2028, the program aims to enroll about 760 students and add 200 more mentors.
"Our program is unique because we're adding one grade level each year, so right now, we're developing the 10th-grade curriculum, which will launch next year," Dr. Bustillos said.
The school will also begin constructing an expansion to the Nimitz High School campus, which will include facilities resembling hospitals, clinics and medical offices.
"It's exciting to see everything come together as the first class progresses," Dr. Callender said.