During High School Outreach Day at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) El Paso in September, students in the Socorro Independent School District's new P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) program gained valuable insights into the world of healthcare education and practice.
About 30 freshmen in Socorro High School’s P-TECH Advanced Academy toured the campus, engaged in hands-on simulations and listened to panel discussions by TTUHSC El Paso faculty. The aim was to familiarize students with TTUHSC El Paso’s medical programs and provide them with information about potential healthcare career paths.
Dr. Fabiola Armendariz, Socorro Hight School Health Professions Academy coordinator, emphasized the importance of high school students learning about the demands of a medical career to help them decide if it's the right choice for them.
“A lot of students want to be physicians. They want to be nurses, but they don't really know what that job entails,” Armendariz said. “Having them come to programs such as this (at TTUHSC El Paso), it opens their eyes to what the actual job title is and how they could become a part of the healthcare team. It's critical for the students to understand that very early on so they can make a determination at the end of their high school, whether they do want to pursue healthcare.”
Socorro High School welcomed its first cohort of 56 students into the P-TECH Advanced Academy this fall. Cohorts will participate in dual credit coursework starting in their freshman year, culminating in students obtaining an associate degree from El Paso Community College and industry certifications, preparing them for careers and the workforce.
Students who finish their associate degree can apply to the TTUHSC Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and potentially graduate in 16 months.
Ildefonso Carrera applied to the P-TECH Advanced Academy because he wanted to pursue a nursing career and make a difference in people's lives.
“It is an amazing program because they're willing to help me get to where I need to get and that’s to become a nurse,” Carrera said.
At TTUHSC, he participated in a hands-on clinical simulation activity using virtual reality goggles, which allow students to learn how to interact with patients safely. He also enjoyed listening to the panelists discuss the impact of a high-stress healthcare career on mental health.
“(I had) a lot of questions, and thankfully they answered all of them,” Carrera said.
Armendariz said the students were excited to experience some of the hands-on learning opportunities they might encounter in college through simulation activities.
Dayanara Garcia-Bracho practiced on the ultrasound simulator, skin graft wound board and the robotic surgery simulator.
“My favorite one would probably be the ultrasound,” Garcia-Bracho said. “I find it really cool. You can actually see the inside of the body and you can hear it.”
Spending the day at TTUHSC El Paso gave her a glimpse of her future.
“It's like such a great experience to see what I'm going to be (doing) in my future job,” said Garcia-Bracho, who wants to work in a hospital’s maternal or prenatal unit. “(It was good to know) what type of people I’m going to be meeting, and what I'm going to be learning.”