CountyLine Magazine

considering a career in healthcare—the texture, the smells, the way a labworks. We are so, so thankful for this relationship!”The staff at Northside Hospital-Forsyth is equally enthusiastic. FredaHardage, director of the Northside Hospital Foundation and Northside’sPartners In Education liaison with Lambert High School says, “We wantto do all we can to make it a positive experience. It is rewarding for ourstaff to see the excitement and anticipation in the students’ eyes whenthey visit our laboratory and get to see first-hand how lab services workin a hospital system.”Approximately 180 students participate in the HCTP program. Enteringas freshmen, who are recommended by their middle school teachers,most are Honors and AP students. A majority of the students in theprogram are also members of the Healthcare Occupation Students ofAmerica (HOSA), where they have an opportunity to participate in regional,state and national competitions and work as a group to give backthrough community service projects. “Our HOSA chapter is the secondlargest in the state,” says Doris with pride. “All of my students are awesome.I’ve got the cream of the crop.”Jared Cook examines a slide with CarolPerry, hematology supervisor.The Healthcare Career Tech Pathway has been instrumental in guidingstudents. Meredith Stone, who is considering a career as a nurse anesthetist,shares, “Before starting this program I did not have a very wideview of the medical world, and now I’ve learned about so many careeroptions. There’s so much more than I ever imagined.” Doris beams atthis and says, “That’s exactly what it’s designed to do!”Anushree Pandya and Kelsey Duttenhofer, learningfrom Marge Meyer-Nugent, microbiology supervisor.9 CountyLine | July 2012