Arlington High School, in partnership with the University of Tennessee at Martin, has announced the expansion of its Health Science Career Cluster to now include pre-nursing. Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, students will have the opportunity to enroll in the “Special Topics: Pre-Nursing” class as a dual enrollment course worth three college-level credits.
“We are thrilled to team with UT-Martin to provide what we believe will be a very popular program at Arlington High,” said Superintendent Tammy Mason. “So many of our students want to pursue nursing in college, and this class will help provide a critical foundation for our students interested in this field.”
“This partnership is a win-win for both institutions,” added Brian Donavant, interim executive director at the Office of Educational Outreach at UT-Martin. “We are excited to partner with Arlington schools to facilitate student success and help ease the transition from high school to college.”
The new course will join the already existing Emergency Services Program that is in partnership with the Town of Arlington. Students will begin with levels 1-3, which include health science education, anatomy and physiology, and medical therapeutics. Once completed, students in their senior year can choose one of two paths: nursing services or emergency services.
The course, which will be taught face-to-face by a UT-Martin professor, is designed to introduce students to the world of nursing and will include topics like professional nurse practices, pharmacology, how to monitor blood pressure and heart rates, and much more. UT Martin says this is the first time the university has offered the course on location inside a high school. Mason said it’s this change from online only to an in-person class that has the district excited about the partnership.
“It shows that UT Martin and Arlington Community Schools are ready and willing to transform 21st Century learning,” Mason continued. “Our students can now see what a college-level nursing course will be like before stepping foot off our campus. It’s thrilling.”
