CUMBERLAND DISTRICT: Superintendent Mark Blanchard gave a report on the district’s Emerge Prepared medical training program, as requested by school directors, during a Sept. 16 meeting of the Cumberland Valley School Board. Beginning with the 2023–24 academic year, the district, in collaboration with UMPC, Harrisburg University, and Emerge Education, implemented the curriculum.
On May 1, 2023, the parties to the program signed a memorandum of understanding with CV’s then-Superintendent David Christopher. Blanchard stated last week that in this particular case, the school board’s approval of the memorandum wasn’t required.
The program was started by the district because Cumberland Perry Area Career and Technical Center only has a limited number of approved slots for medical study, and certain students are not allowed to enroll there each year.
Students interested in Health care industry
Our objective is twofold. We saw this as a chance to help local industry needs because Cumberland County is in need of health care workers. Second, there are many of our students who are interested in careers in the health care industry, but there aren’t many possibilities for them to pursue specialized training.
In order to help those pupils pursue entry into a market with significant requirements, this was done, according to Blanchard. 63 CV students in grades 10 through 12 enrolled in the two-year program in 2023–2024. Dental assistant, 1, patient care technology, 4, EKG technology, 1, pharmacy technology, 7, medical assistant, 27, phlebotomy, 5, medical lab, 2, sterile processing, 12, medical scribe, 3, and surgical technology were the course registrations at that time.
Nine of the registrants from the previous year have subsequently finished their studies, according to updated statistics that Blanchard gave last week. Of those, two are 17 years old and must become 18 before they are eligible for certification; four passed the certification examinations, and one began their clinical placement. Nineteen of the entrants from the previous year have chosen to halt their studies, leaving 23 of them still enrolled in the program.
The final 14 have pulled out. “We’re progressing, but at varying speeds,” stated Blanchard. The district has seen seven additional students enroll in Emerge Prepared this year. Out of them, five have chosen the medical assistant program, and the remaining one has chosen surgical and patient care technology.
This year, the district will cover the cost of the novice students’ second and final years of education, with the families of these pupils responsible for paying the tuition for the first year. For kids who started the course last year, however, the district covered the whole cost of tuition. “This is a great program, but I’m not happy with the amount the district had to pay for it last year.
According to CV school director Andrew Clancy, “I think the number of students getting over the goal line will increase with the family (tuition) commitment.” The cost per student ranges from $2,550 to $4,000 and includes asynchronous instruction via MedCerts, a company that provides short-term online training for IT and health care certifications, as well as weekly check-ins with CV school counselor Leigh, pacing guides, and success coaches.
Limited program
Assistant Board Secretary Michelle Nestor stated that, in contrast, the district pays “an average of $5,500 per year per student for (Cumberland Perry Area Career and Technology Center)”. Due to high demand, we exceeded the program’s budget last year.
As we are unable to incur even a little overspend this year, we have limited the program to make sure district resources are being used as effectively as possible. There is not a cap on the number of students, but rather on the amount of money we will spend, as each program has a distinct cost, Blanchard stated this week.
In other news, at Monday’s meeting, CV officials welcomed Rebecca Leathery, the district’s new communications expert. On August 5, the school board authorized Leathery’s appointment at a $100,000 annual salary, and she started her job on September 9.
Leathery has a background in marketing, communications, and public relations. She graduated from Penn State University in 2010. Her most recent position with the Gettysburg Area School District was as a communications specialist for three years.