When Houston-based Memorial Hermann launched the Health Education and Learning High School last fall, leaders were thinking well beyond the value the initiative would bring to their own workforce.
“These [students] will be qualified to work anywhere in the market, which we think is an important thing to measure,” said Bryan Sisk, DNP, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive at Memorial Hermann.
The HEAL program welcomed its inaugural class of 142 students in August and aims to grow enrollment to 760 students by 2028. A partnership between Memorial Hermann and Aldine Independent School District, the program operates on the campus of Nimitz High School and is backed by $31 million in funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The program weaves healthcare education into the standard high school curriculum, with students spending part of their week on site at Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital. Each student chooses one of five healthcare pathways — nursing, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy, medical imaging, or nonclinical administration — and works toward earning an industry-recognized certification by graduation.
When designing the program, Memorial Hermann looked beyond internal staffing needs. Leaders conducted a labor market assessment to identify where demand for healthcare workers was highest across the region and used that data to shape the initial five pathways, Mr. Sisk said.
In addition to job placement, Memorial Hermann is tracking the number of graduates who pursue postsecondary education, as leaders believe the initiative may entice some students to consider college who otherwise might not have. With early exposure to a rigorous, structured program and real-world experience, students may feel more confident in their ability to succeed in a college or an advanced training environment.
“If they exit HEAL and go into one of these programs, we’re going to continue following them through those experiences to make sure that they have what they need to be successful,” Mr. Sisk said.
In the short term, HEAL is measuring traditional academic benchmarks for high school students, including pass rates and attendance. The health system is equally focused on internal qualitative indicators, such as how its own staff respond to mentoring high school students.
“The engagement has been amazing … staff love what we’re doing in this space,” Mr. Sisk said.
Seven Memorial Hermann employees are currently embedded at the school, helping mentor students and coordinate real-world learning aligned with their chosen tracks.
For many students, early exposure to a hospital setting helps take the mystery and intimidation out of healthcare careers, especially for those who don’t have personal connections to the profession. Recalling past conversations with high school students, Mr. Sisk said many have questions like, “What happens in a building that big? How do you even get a job in something of that size?” Without that visibility, he said, a career in healthcare can seem out of reach.
“I truly believe, when we look at individuals who go through a clinical program and then leave that profession, some of it is they just didn’t know what the job was; what it entailed and how it works,” he said. “Every day, these students from age 14 through 18 will have exposure to their career pathway. They’ll actually know if that’s the job for them.”
