North Arkansas College (Northark) announces a new program slated to begin in the spring semester. The Health Professions Academy (HPA) is a program offering health professions classes to high school students at little or no cost to them. High school students can take college courses along with high school courses (known as concurrent credit). HPA helps students complete the college health professions prerequisite courses while in high school so they can apply to the health professions program of their choice upon graduation.
Students can begin enrolling in the HPA beginning in January 2025. Even though the new program is not yet available, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) classes taught at the high school have been beneficial to students who want to get a jump start on their college journey.
Harrison High School junior Lily Alexander heard about the health professions classes from her friends. The news was just what the doctor ordered because Lily plans to become a nurse practitioner or APRN. “I enrolled for two reasons,” she said. “To take advantage of the opportunity to begin college early and to save money by not having to pay tuition and fees. The CNA class has truly been an amazing opportunity for me. My instructor was phenomenal in guiding and teaching me which made the class an excellent learning experience. The classes were arranged around my schedule, so I was able to take the classes I was passionate about.”
HPA is the brainchild of Angie Moix, CNA and MA director. Angie says, “any student interested in healthcare and who is compassionate, empathic, with a desire to care for others is an ideal candidate for a myriad of healthcare careers.” The program gives students firsthand experiences in the health professions career of their choice.
Arkansas has made a statewide effort to address healthcare labor shortages and increase the health of Arkansans. HPA classes are paid for with a mix of money from the state of Arkansas, the participating school district and Northark. Using a combination of college and tech classes, students can often get two or more years of training at little to no cost to them. In the last several years, high school enrollment has skyrocketed at the college.
“This fall 42% of Northark’s student body is high school students taking concurrent classes,” Northark President Dr. Rick Massengale stated. “With rising concurrent enrollment, it does affect the budget as a significant cost. We support it because we are dedicated to making a college education available to students whether it be on campus, online, or in high school to enable them to earn educational credentials. We especially need healthcare workers and the HPA will make it more convenient for students to enter health professions fields.”
Harrison is currently the only school to have all HPA college classes on-site, although other schools may follow. Students can enter HPA in 10th grade and after graduation have earned the prerequisites to enter LPN, MLT, radiologic technology, surgical technology, or paramedic, programs at Northark. Students also can complete certification for both CNA and EMT while still in high school simply by attending HPA classes.
Harrison High School Superintendent Dr. Stewart Pratt supports the new program, “I am proud of the vision of Harrison High School advocating for the Health Professions Academy. With the partnership between Harrison High School and Northark, we are providing an incredible opportunity for students to have a strong foundational start in a health-related field.”
Enrollment in HPA is intentionally limited to twenty applications to deliver personalized instruction to each student. Students participate online or onsite at the high school or college. The HPA is available to 10th, 11th and 12th grade students, however juniors and seniors are not guaranteed to get all perquisites before graduation. After the first semester, students choose their favorite career paths. Angie says “HPA is individualized for students who know what they want to do, and very general and broad for those who are exploring their interests.”
Lily plans to attend a university after high school to complete her education. “I would encourage other students to take the opportunity to start their post-secondary education early. The healthcare class has reinforced my desire for what I want to do with my future and has given me the opportunity to see what a healthcare career entails early on, so I am prepared for advancing forward in this career.”