A collaboration between Columbus Community Hospital (CCH), area high schools and Central Community College, the program allows students the chance to learn about careers available in health care while still in school.

It is currently offered at Columbus High School (CHS) and Lakeview High School.

Kalloff, who is an instructor with CCH, noted that CHS started the original groundwork for the pathway after survey results showed a significant portion of students indicating they wanted to go into health care.

“We had about 30%, 35% of our student population that were saying ‘we want to do something in health care or health sciences in some capacity,’” said CHS Principal Dave Hiebner. “This was a number of years ago when we started to look down this path and lo and behold … we have a lot of students who want in and we have a lot of students that are signing up for the courses and still continue to want to be involved in health care.”

The school, Hiebner said, wants to develop pathways that the community needs.

“Columbus High is a microcosm of the community and we have to be responsive to the needs of the community,” Hiebner said. “One of the areas throughout our community and many others is that shortage of health care workers. Here’s a way in which we can get kids into the program sooner, we can offer it at a much cheaper cost for our students.”

Conversations started at the Columbus Public Schools level and then with the hospital, Kallhoff added.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about nurses, CNAs (certified nursing assistant), pharmacists, doctors; across the board we need people,” Kalloff said. “…The hospital board said ‘This is really a good idea that we need to offer to all three high schools in Columbus.’ And with that being said they did.”

The curriculum used in the pathway is from the college, which still offers a CNA program on its campus but sees a long waitlist, she said.

CHS implemented the pathway last January with Lakeview starting it this past fall. The classes are held at the respective schools, both CHS and Lakeview have designated health science rooms where the curriculum is taught.

“Scotus is looking at a way to incorporate it into their schedule for their students and into their building. Because it does take up a little space to actually have it on site,” Kalloff added.

Kalloff said the pathway includes Health Science 1, Health Science 2 and a CNA skills class that, upon completion, allows students to receive their CNA certification.

Health Science 1 is an introduction to health care. Kallhoff said they learn the different fields of health care, as well as the importance of safety, communication, teamwork and any other skills needed to work in any health care position.

“At the end of that semester, they become CPR certified and they become Stop the Bleed certified, we touch on some first aid things, so it’s a time to get their feet wet,” Kallhoff said.

Importantly, the students are able to get a taste of the health care field before spending their time and money pursuing a potential career after high school, she noted.

“It helps them make that decision that says ‘yes, this is really what I want to do.’ Or, ‘maybe this isn’t what I thought it was and maybe I want to look at something different,’” Kallhoff said, adding there are speakers who represent different health care careers come in and talk about their fields.

For the CHS fall semester, there were 45 students in Health Science 1 and eight CNA students. At Lakeview, there were 24 Health Science 1 students.

“This current semester, those students that were in Health Science 1 had the option of moving into either Health Science 2 or taking the CNA class,” Kallhoff said. “That being said there were only 16 spots available for the CNA class at Columbus High and 16 spots at Lakeview.”

State law limits the CNA course to eight students per class. Kallhoff added that both classes at CHS are full while there are 11 CNA students at Lakeview.

For Health Science 2 this semester, there are 12 students at CHS and another group had been added with 15 enrolled in that. At Lakeview, there are eight to 10 students in Health Science 2.

“The implementation has been successful largely because of the support by CCH and CCC,” Lakeview Junior-Senior High School Principal Steve Borer said. “Here at Lakeview we also have had great success due to our two teachers who have taught the classes, Wendy Kallhoff is a registered nurse who partners with Nicole Miller, one of our science teachers, to teach the classes in the Health Science Pathway. They both have done a tremendous job.”

For Kallhoff, being an instructor of the Health Science Pathway is a full-time job. She noted she is in the classroom Monday through Friday, starting before school begins and not leaving around 4 p.m.

“Lakeview students sometimes are there at 6:45, not every morning, and Columbus High, some of them show up here on some mornings at about 7 a.m.,” Kallhoff said.

The students are dedicated and the pathway is going extremely well so far, she added.

“I couldn’t ask for better students, more engaged students and eager-to-learn students. You can tell that this is something that they want to do and that they don’t have to do,” Kallhoff said.

“Great kids, putting in the effort, putting in the hard work to be successful.”

Kalloff added they’ve already seen a direct impact as there are a couple of students already employed with the hospital. The pathway will also hopefully help keep kids in Columbus, she noted.

“We want to catch these students who have an interest in health care before they kind of leave our community, so that we can keep them interested, enthralled and (we) want (them) to come back and serve the people that they live with, their friends and their neighbors,” Kallhoff said.

According to Kallhoff, next year they will start offering Health Science 3.

Both Borer and Hiebner noted they see the Health Science Pathway continuing to grow.

“As more students get into it, I think they’re going to see that there’s a lot of different options within health care,” Hiebner said. “I envision it to continue to grow and the interest to continue to grow, especially as health care needs in the community and around the state continue to grow.”