JSerra
Catholic High School and Mission Hospital announced a Pre-Med
Professional Magnet program designed for students interested in careers
in medicine and healthcare.
“We are confident this program will attract those interested in
challenging themselves in a way that will prepare them to compete at the
top colleges in the world”
Students will shadow Mission
Hospital’s industry-leading surgeons, neurologists, orthopedists,
nurses, as well as hospital professionals who do not practice medicine.
The high school and hospital are developing a rigorous four-year
science-focused curriculum.
When they graduate, pre-med students will receive a special citation on
their diplomas - and be prepared to compete at the nation’s most
prestigious universities, said Frank Talarico, JSerra’s CEO.
“We are committed to innovating new ways to prepare our students for the
next stage of their educational development - and for their professional
careers,” Talarico said. “We are blessed to have such a great friend in
Mission Hospital and CEO Peter Bastone. We believe his partnership will
result in a higher percentage of our brightest students choosing careers
in medicine and healthcare.”
California and Orange County face a shortage of doctors and nurses - and
there’s a shortage of surgeons in U.S. hospitals, Bastone said.
“Our vision is to engage parents and students in a different way,”
Bastone said.
Bastone envisions students’ summer rotations to include trauma
simulations with dummies that breathe, move and bleed.
During lectures about the circulation system, he added, “We will
broadcast an open-heart surgery live from the operating room into the
classroom.”
The pilot program begins in spring with 25 students.
It’s designed to be a four-year program, but a select group of current
freshmen, sophomores and juniors will participate.