Manea Senior College students cannot wait to get started on the country’s first high school health and medical specialist program in 2013. Pictured is Larrisa Fiori, Callan Branchi, Sarah Gawley, Michael Pannett and Nicholas Chapman.
MANEA Senior College students have jumped at the chance to pioneer the country’s first high school health and medical program.
After three years of planning and research, the local school will offer the specialist program to interested students in 2013.
The school will offer 30 positions in the program and principal Paul Matthews said students were already lining up to jump onboard.
“We haven’t even started advertising the program and there has been a huge amount of interest,” Mr Matthews said.
Since the college opened in 2009, staff have been researching the need for the specialist course.
It aims to introduce students to a broad range of skills, allowing them to make an educated choice when they begin a university degree.
Mr Matthews said a high number of university students drop out of medicine in their first year and regional students were often under-represented in tertiary study.
“I don’t think young people realise how many career opportunities are available to them in the health and medical field,” Mr Matthews said.
“Through a pilot program we have been running, their eyes have been opened to careers like physiotherapy, radiology and occupational therapy.”
Education minister Elizabeth Constable will launch Manea’s Health and Medical Specialist Program at its Health-bound@Manea expo this Saturday.
The expo will feature 50 health and medical organisations, career information, health-based entertainment and much more.
Everyone is welcome to attend the expo which runs from 10am to 2pm at the college.
