Hillsborough County Develops Unique Career Academy Through Voluntary Public School Choice Grant
By Pansy Houghton
Among many attractor programs developed through the Voluntary Public School Choice Grant is a unique career academy opened this year by Hillsborough County Public Schools. The Health Administration Academy at Tampa Bay Technical High School opened its doors to 22 sophomore students last August.
“The best part about serving as lead teacher for the Health Administration Academy is the support from the school district and the opportunities this support provides for the students to see real world experiences outside the classroom,” said Joann Rumore, lead teacher and Tampa Bay Technical’s current Teacher of the Year.
With a strong and involved Advisory Board chaired by Andrew Harris, Managing Director of GE Healthcare Financial Services, the program has already made great strides. In January, the students boarded a chartered bus headed for Gainesville, Florida where they were welcomed to the University of Florida by Dr. Allyson Hall, professor of the Master of Health Administration program and member of the academy’s Advisory Board. Dr. Hall led the students through a tour of the university that included a visit to several health science labs and the research and teaching facility of Shands Hospital. The highlight of the trip was a lunch arranged by Dr. Hall during which the students met Don Shook, the head hospital administrator at Shands, along with several graduate students in the Master of Health Adminstration program. The most enlightening part of the day was the Q and A session between the high school students and the college students.
According to Rumore, the trip to Gainesville was a turning point in the program’s development because the students were able to get an authentic view of what lies ahead in the field of Health Administration. The students became more invested in their own studies at that point.
“Before, I thought that being a health administrator was just office work and crunching numbers. On the field trip, however, I learned that there’s so much more to it. They are as necessary to the hospital as doctors are,” said Nathalie Halsall, sophomore.
Harris arranged a second field trip for the students to GE Money in April. Students learned about credit card usage and some of the financing options GE Money provides for health care.
Other members of the Advisory Board include Steve Freedman, Ph.D., professor emeritus at University of Florida; Russ Munch, Network Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida; Barbara Orban, Ph.D., of University of South Florida’s College of Public Health; David Rogoff, Hillsborough County’s Director of Health and Social Services; Dennis Sexton, former CEO of All Children’s Hospital; and Bridgette W. Shaw, CEO of the Pepin Hear Hospital & Dr. Kiran C. Patel Research Institute. This diverse and highly qualified group has met monthly throughout the school year with school district administrators, thus demonstrating community interest in the success of the program. The Advisory Board has offered insight and expertise into curriculum development, course sequencing, textbook adoption, business software applications, and related extracurricular experiences.
The first year has been so successful that the program will expand to grades 9 through 11 next year, serving 65-75 students.
