Resources > Pathways

What is a Pathway?

The 32 Pathways listed below give middle, high school and college-level students a hands-on experience as a health care professional. Pathways take place at colleges, high schools, hospitals, career and technical centers near you. Each Pathway may be geared towards specific ages, grades or schools.

Advanced MedQuest in Burlington, Vermont

For Grades: 10 11 12
Description: This program provides a six-day college campus experience in Burlington, VT, with health career exploration opportunities for fifteen students who are Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center MedQuest alumni.

Allied Health Science Program at The Cold Hollow Career Center

For Grades: 11 12
Description: The Allied Health Sciences Program is a two-year college preparatory program offered to Juniors and Seniors at the Cold Hollow Career Center. The curriculum is rigorous and covers infection control, confidentiality, ethics, medical terminology, human body systems, symptoms of disease and treatment approaches. Also covered are nutrition, Wellness and professional development. Prerequisite for entry is successful completion of a college prep Biology Course.

Allied Medical Services

For Grades: 11 12
Description: This course introduces students to medical careers available in today's high tech facilities. Students work toward certification in blood borne pathogens, CPR, Basic First Aid, and Medical Terminology. Two Project Running Start courses, which are taught in conjunction with the River Valley Community College, are Medical Terminology and Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care. These provide an option for earning college credit, while students are still attending high school. Students may select these options to enhance their program. The content of this program is basic for all professional level health careers with basic anatomy and physiology being taught during the senior year. Seniors also participate in work placements at local hospitals, vet clinics, dental offices, and nursing homes. Participation in the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Leadership Club and National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) is also offered.

Blood & Guts at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital

For Grades: 7
Description: Program for 7th grade students that provides hands-on activities that demonstrate the miracle of the human body and the allied health professionals who help the body stay in good working order.

CDC CO-OP Program in Bennington

For Grades: 11 12
Description: To provide students with opportunities to explore career interests and apply academic and technical skills learned in the classroom in a real job setting. Activities include: job shadows, non-paid work experience, paid cooperative work experience, student apprenticeships.

Cooperative Educational Experience in Brattleboro

For Grades: 11 12
Description: To provide job shadowing, volunteer and work experiences with area health providers. Elective credit is available.

Dental Assistant Program

For Grades: 11 12 College-level
Description: The Dental Assisting Program is accredited by the American Dental Association. This challenging career, demanding versatility and a willingness to assume responsibilities for many diverse tasks, is attractive to students who are strong in science and want to work with people. It includes a variety of learning experiences that incorporate essential worker traits into the curriculum. The curriculum sequence presents theory first then guided practical applications. Externship and field placements provide practical experience and on-the-job-training in dental offices. These practical experiences are vital in developing a sense of initiative and responsibility and are a required component of the curriculum.

Emergency and Fire Services Program at The Northwest Technical Center

For Grades: 10 11 12
Description: Emergency and Fire Services is an introductory program offered to 10th, 11th and 12th graders emphasizing the basic instruction required for entry-level work or post-secondary training in the fields of Emergency Medical Services and Fire Science. The course meets the Vermont State Fire Fighters I, First Responder, and Emergency Medical Technician-Basic certification requirements. Topics to be covered include fire behavior, search and rescue, incident control, equipment, and emergency medical procedures. Students will be able to visit and train at area emergency service providers and area fire stations.

Firefighter Program in Brattleboro

For Grades: 11 12
Description: An introductory course with an emphasis on fire/emergency hands-on training. This course meets the Vermont State requirements for Firefighter 1 Certification. Class subjects range from fire science/behavior to emergency medical topics. There are class trips to area emergency service agencies.

Focus on Health Careers Conference in Burlington, Vermont

For Grades: 9 10 11 12
Description: This is a Champlain Valley AHEC event done in partnership with the UVM College of Medicine Office of Primary Care and AHEC Program, this one-day conference held on the UVM College of Medicine Medical Education Center is for students interested in learning more about health careers. During this conference students will take a look at community-based settings and the health care professionals practicing in them. College students in a health care program will join the participants at lunchtime for small group discussions about careers of interest. Students will also attend workshops relating to making the best of their high school years and college planning.

Focus On The Future in Bennington

For Grades: 9
Description: Focus in the Future offers career exploration and planning for 9th graders. Students work closely with teachers and guidance counselors to identify the career clusters of personal interest and explore the skills necessary to succeed in them. They then create individualized plans to ensure that their secondary education prepares them for the type of career they envision for themselves. Activities include visits by guest speakers, soft skill development, and job shadows.

Franklin County TIPS (Training Interns and Partnering for Success)

For Grades: 12 College-level
Description: An internship program for high school seniors and CCV students planning on work after high school. Program includes employment readiness skills, tours and employer visits. Students are placed in 40 hour unpaid internships at employers in their field of interest with hopes of paid employment to follow the internship. The program is open to high school seniors and CCV students, ages 18-23. For more information, contact your high school guidance counselor or the Internship Coordinator, Kathy Lavoie, at 782-1924.

Health Careers Academy at Stafford Technical Center

For Grades: 11 12
Description: Designed to prepare students for further education and/or employment in the health care field. Certifications offered include first aid, CPR, and nurse assistant. College credits are available for Medical Terminology. Second year students have the potential for a paid co-op work experience and college classes at Castleton State College or Community College of Vermont.

Health Careers Exploration MedQuest Program Burlington, VT

For Grades: 10 11
Description: This is a Champlain Valley AHEC Program. MedQuest is an intensive, residential (five night, six day) Health Careers Exploration program held on the University of Vermont(UVM) campus in Burlington, VT, with career exploration opportunities for students interested in gaining more knowledge of the health care field through job shadows, workshops, CPR certification, interactions with medical students and health care professional, and much more. Students will travel to each of the three local hospitals in our area for the job shadows and to learn what each hospital has to offer for employment.

Health Careers Exploration Shadow Day Program

For Grades: 10 11 12
Description: This is a Champlain Valley AHEC one-day Health Careers Exploration Program done in partnership with a local hospital. It is a program designed to allow high school students the opportunity to explore the health care field through workshops, one job shadow, and presentations about college and career planning. A Shadow Day Program is held once per year at each of the local hospitals: Porter Medical Center, Middlebury, VT, for Addison County students, Northwestern Medical Center, St. Albans, VT for Franklin and Grand Isle County and Milton High School students, and Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, VT for Chittenden County students.

Health Careers Program At Patricia Hannaford Career Center

For Grades: 11 12
Description: : Health Careers Level I and Level II are offered at the Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center. It is open to juniors and seniors who may want to pursue a career path in a health related field. Level I is a pre-requisite for Level II; although senior students can apply to level I. The program is designed to prepare students for further education and/or careers in the health care field. Topics include such things as the diversity of health occupations; basic professional standards in health care; medical terminology, which includes human anatomy and basic physiology; and basic nursing/medical skills. Students take part in a combination of classroom, lab, and clinical work. One goal of the program is to have students able to enter the workforce as a Licensed Nurse Assistant - the LNA training program is offered in Level I. Dual enrollment options are offered in Medical Terminology and Biology with the Community College of Vermont, with the potential of earning 3 credits for each program. Upon successful completion of American Heart Association programs and exam, students may become nationally certified in BLS as a healthcare provider, as well as, certified in First Aid. Students receive their Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) certification upon successful completion of LNA program/ exam(s), and the Vermont Board of Nursing approval.

Health Careers Program at River Valley Technical Center, Springfield, VT

For Grades: 11 12
Description: The Health Careers Program is designed to prepare students for success in further education in health care programs and/or to provide the skills for entry-level positions in health care. The Health Careers Program is a two-year program that integrates classroom studies with clinical and practical application. Students are exposed to an array of healthcare careers. They visit medical facilities to get a first-hand look at the choices available to them. Guest speakers, classroom learning, and skills training in a realistic lab setting are part of the first year.

Health Information Management Program at The Center for Technology at Essex

For Grades: 11 12 College-level
Description: The Health Informatics curriculum focuses on training for administrative/business positions in a health care setting or as an introduction to clinical professions. The business of health care increasingly relies on the skills of the office manager such as interpersonal, communication and technical skills. Externships and field placements provide experience and on-the-job-training in health care offices. These practical experiences are vital in developing a sense of realism for the courseware and provide excellent networking opportunities. The Health Informatics teaching staff was nationally certified in coding instruction through the American Academy of Professional Coders in January of 2008.

Learn To Earn in Bennington County

For Grades: No grade requirement
Description: Local employers and entrepreneurs encourage and support young people to take math and science classes through hands-on workshops in schools.

Learn to Earn in Franklin County

For Grades: 9 10 11 12
Description: Presentations done in high school classes by a local employer using hands- on activities to educate students about careers that are related to math, science, and technology. These jobs also use high levels of skill and are well paying jobs.

Learn To Earn in Rutland

For Grades: 7 8 9 10 11 12
Description: Local employers and entrepreneurs encourage and support young people to take math and science classes through hands-on workshops in the schools.

Linking Learning to Life Programs in Chittenden County

For Grades: No grade requirement
Description: Various educational and employment opportunities for students including community-based learning, supported job placement, classroom presentations by local employers, mentoring and the opportunity to take college courses during high school.

Medical and Sports Science Program I & II at The Burlington Technical Center

For Grades: 10 11 12
Description: The Medical and Sports Sciences Program is a two-year college preparatory program. The rigorous curriculum prepares students to pursue further education towards a career in either the medical or sports sciences. The two years of the program correlate with a complete Anatomy and Physiology (A & P) course (i.e. Year I covers A & P I, Year II covers A & P II). As we progress through Anatomy and Physiology we will be covering the associated medical terminology, associated diseases (pathologies) as well as evaluation and treatment procedures specific to the body system being covered. Students will participate in laboratory experiences including microscopic analysis, dissection, phlebotomy (blood drawing), massage, microbiology and wound care. Students will also be orientated to medical instruments (i.e. reflex hammers, hot and cold packs, blood pressure cuffs, EKG’s, and inspirometers,…). Life-like, computerized manikins are used to simulate patients and introduce students to normal and abnormal patient findings. The first year curriculum also includes the study of Human Growth and Development (exploring physical, cognitive and social-emotional development through the life span). Study strategies (including note-taking, textbook reading, studying, test-taking,…) are taught in the early part of the first year and reinforced throughout the duration of the two-year program. Students spend time during the first year program exploring various medical and sports related fields in order to fully understand the details of each of these positions. Students then have the opportunity to observe different medical professionals through clinical observations, in order to identify their own area of interest. In the second year, in addition to the continued study of Anatomy and Physiology, the curriculum also includes an in-depth study of nutrition, including nutritional considerations for the athlete. Students in the second year program are placed in career work experiences in their identified area of interest, allowing them to acquire valuable hands on experience with patients as well as the chance to interact with medical/sports professionals.

Medical Human Services

For Grades: 11 12
Description: The Medical and Human Services Program introduces the students to a variety of careers involved in working with and helping others. Each student is exposed to the principles and practices needed to assist the medical/human services worker in providing knowledgeable and accurate care. An introductory work experience is provided in a variety of medical/human service settings and through work experiences, community involvement and classroom instruction students increase their awareness of individual needs and refine employment skills for working with clients and patients of all ages.

Medical Professions Program at Northwest Technical Center

For Grades: 10 11 12 College-level
Description: This upper level program is designed for students who are planning to attend college or other medical training programs and pursue careers in medicine, nursing, physical therapy, radiologic imaging, laboratory technology, dental hygiene, veterinary technology, or sports medicine. Students in the first year of this class will earn one credit in Anatomy & Physiology. Additionally, students may earn 10 transcripted college credits. Students will explore the symptoms of disease and wellness that may occur in the human body during a person's life. These students will also have field placements in actual medical settings to help them apply their academic learning to real life situations. Students will participate in group activities designed to promote individual growth and the development of leadership skills. Second year students will focus on Medical Terminology. If you like working with people and you enjoy science and medical technology, consider this program. Students may earn their First Aid, CPR, and LNA certifications.

Medical Professions Program at Southwest Career Development Center

For Grades: 11 12
Description: Medical Professions is a two-year, secondary career education program for students interested in pursuing a career in health care. It is designed to provide the foundational knowledge and skills that are necessary for most health care careers. The first year focuses on the history of health care, health career exploration, medical terminology, infection control, medical legal and ethical issues, cultural diversity in health care, medical math, communication skills, health care systems, and workplace skills. The second year focuses on basic and advanced first aid, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and mental health. Second year students also have the option to become certified as First Responders.

MedQuest in Bennington and Brattleboro

For Grades: 9 10 11
Description: Health career exploration and job shadowing experiences with health care professionals in a college campus setting help youth build an awareness of their personal interests, values and skills in relation to specific health careers.

MedQuest In Lyndon

For Grades: 9 10
Description: MedQuest in Lyndon, Vermont provides a campus life experience at Lyndon State College for 20 students from the Caledonia, Essex, Lamoille, Orleans, Orange, and Washington Counties.

Ophthalmic Medical Assistant Program at The Center for Technology at Essex

For Grades: 11 12
Description: Ophthalmic Medical Assisting is a nationally accredited training program, accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Ophthalmic Medical Personnel in 2008. CTE, in partnership with community ophthalmologists, offers an exciting program in Ophthalmic Medical Assisting (OMA). Ophthalmic Medical Assisting is a highly professional career for students strong in the areas of math and science. The program will train high school juniors and seniors and adults to work under the supervision of an ophthalmologist to perform ophthalmic clinical duties such as: taking patient histories, providing patient services, taking eye measurements, administering tests and evaluations, and assisting in surgery. Qualified students will participate in a program that combines both academic instruction and clinical experience. Following a four month introductory period of intensive lecture and lab skill development, qualified students will be assigned to clinical rotations. In these rotations students will work side by side with physicians and technicians in the clinical setting. National certification can be gained if desired, after completion of 500 clinical hours (3 months full time employment) and successful completion of the class.

Summer Tech Camp in Springfield

For Grades: 7 8 9
Description: All students entering 7th, 8th or 9th grade at any area middle school or home school are eligible for Summer Tech Camp in Springfield.

Vital Signs - Directions In Nursing in Brattleboro

For Grades: 9 10 11 12
Description: Intensive state-of-the-art exploration of nursing careers including classroom instruction; job shadowing; visits to area nursing schools.

Youth Health Service Corps

For Grades: 9 10 11 12
Description: Youth Health Service Corps is available through St. Johnsbury Academy, People's Academy and Lake Region Union High School. Students interested in health careers complete a 4-hour training and volunteer in community medical and human service agencies. Students completing 100 or more hours are eligible for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Contact the Northeastern Vermont AHEC site: www.nevahec.org for more information.