A grant totaling nearly $1 million has been awarded to ETSU’s James H. Quillen College of Medicine to initiate an enrichment program for high school and college students interested in health care.
The grant, which is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, will be used to establish the Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) at ETSU.
This six-week summer program will provide interested students many types of learning experiences, including classroom lectures, field trips, and job shadowing exercises with local health care providers.
Participants will also live in the ETSU residence halls, giving high school students a glimpse of “college life.”
“Our goal is to help nurture an interest among young men and women and educate them about the many rewarding opportunities the health care field presents, and to produce future providers of health services for the underserved areas of this region,” said Dr. Stephanie C. Leeper, associate dean for student affairs at the College of Medicine.
“This early awareness of their career goals is important as they can begin taking classes and looking for schools where they can pursue their training.
“And, we want these men and women to have the confidence they will be successful,” she said.
Leeper says HCOP will be especially looking for student participants who are considered economically or educationally disadvantaged.
“Often, these are the ones whose potential for a career in health care is overlooked, and they are not advised of the opportunities they have.”
Participants will be recruited from Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina. Students will begin the program in the summer of 2004.
This is the first time the Quillen College of Medicine has hosted HCOP.
The program was offered at ETSU in the past through the College of Public and Allied Health.
It ended at the conclusion of the grant period.
High school and college students interested in learning more about HCOP should contact the Office of Support Services at the College of Medicine at 439-2037 or e-mail sacom@etsu.edu.

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