TERRELL, Texas — Terrell ISD recently highlighted its partnership with Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC), which provides high school juniors and seniors opportunities to pursue medical careers through the Health Science Academy.
TERRELL, Texas — Terrell ISD recently highlighted its partnership with Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC), which provides high school juniors and seniors opportunities to pursue medical careers through the Health Science Academy.
In a release, Terrell ISD highlighted Terrell High School Senior Ava Foren, who spends three hours a day at the Academy and is enrolled in pharmacology and medical assistant classes.
In the spring, she will begin clinical rotations at Baylor, Scott, and White Family Medical Center in Terrell, where she will be prepared to take her Medical Assistant exam next May.
According to the release, Foren says she is excited to apply what she’s learned and is prepared for real-life scenarios.
“I am really excited for clinicals,” Foren said. “I will be able to put into practice all that I have learned. I will be able to go from a simulated environment to a real-world setting.”
Foren told Terrell ISD that book learning is only part of the training but that the majority is her hands-on experience through the Academy.
“It is more than just reading from a textbook,” she said. “Only about 25% of what we learn comes from a textbook, the other 75% is from hands-on, real-world experience.”
Foren plans to ultimately attend the University of Texas at Austin to obtain her Bachelor's degree in nursing.
Not only is she ranked third in her class, thanks to the partnership with TVCC, she is also on track to receive her Associate Degree from TVCC in May — two full weeks before she earns her high school diploma, says Terrell ISD.
The Health Science Academy, which is located on State Highway 34, is a partnership between Terrell ISD and Trinity Valley Community College with TVCC faculty instructors, according to the district. The Academy houses high school juniors and seniors and currently has 45 students enrolled — 41 girls and 4 boys.