����ɫ��Ƭ

Students����ɫ��Ƭ� families were invited to attend the event. Superintendents from both schools spoke, praising the program and encouraging the students.

����ɫ��Ƭ�MedEx is proof of what could happen when schools, communities, and industries come together to invest in our youth. Wayne County Schools is proud to be a part of that partnership that provides not only access to careers, but provides a purpose,����ɫ��Ƭ� said Todd Alexander, Wayne County Schools superintendent.

����ɫ��Ƭ�MedEx program is just a unique opportunity for the students and it would not be possible without the hard work of the Education Alliance,����ɫ��Ƭ� said Tim Hardesty, Cabell County Schools superintendent.

The interns wear uniforms and have their own badges. Once they complete classroom experience, interns can do things like phlebotomy, administer vaccinations and bathe people.

����ɫ��Ƭ�Just the opportunity to be within that setting, the skills they learn within the classroom puts them ahead once they do go to college. They����ɫ��Ƭ�re ahead of other students that haven����ɫ��Ƭ�t had this opportunity, they����ɫ��Ƭ�ve already made those connections within the hospital they����ɫ��Ƭ�ve already by their senior year, been employed earning money within the system so they����ɫ��Ƭ�ve got their foot in the door and a head start on their future,����ɫ��Ƭ� said Melanie Maynard, a therapeutic services teacher.

They test for certification in May of their senior year. The program comes with employment opportunities and help with tuition if they do want to pursue more education.

����ɫ��Ƭ�The shortage of workers not just in nursing, but in all aspects of health care that we realized when we started to face about a decade ago caused us to think about how do we get upstream, how do we get and penetrate an interest in the workforce of health care at a different level. And so we are now finding ourselves certainly in high schools and I dare say, believe it or not, in some areas of the country, even in middle schools just exposing students to the potential and the jobs are plentiful,����ɫ��Ƭ� said Scott Raynes, president and CEO of Marshall Health Network.

Last year, there were 10 students from each school. This class has 16 from Cabell Midland and 15 from Wayne. There are plans to expand the opportunity to students at Huntington and Spring Valley high schools.

Alexas Napier, of Wayne County, just completed her first year in the program. She says she always had a passion for the industry and saw this as a way to get a head start in the field.

����ɫ��Ƭ�I feel like the biggest thing that I����ɫ��Ƭ�ve learned is compassion for others. You see people in really bad situations and it makes you have a lot of empathy and really appreciate life that you do have,����ɫ��Ƭ� Napier said. ����ɫ��Ƭ�I would say that if you����ɫ��Ƭ�re even considering going into the health care field,to definitely take this program. I think it����ɫ��Ƭ�s helped me in a lot of ways, not just with healthcare, personally I think it����ɫ��Ƭ�s helped me be able to open up and speak publicly and speak to other people. It����ɫ��Ƭ�s definitely made me a lot smarter in ways of being able to communicate, have sympathy and help other people.����ɫ��Ƭ�

Brayden Osborne, of Wayne County, signed to enter the MedEx program Friday. He says he wanted to ����ɫ��Ƭ�follow in my family����ɫ��Ƭ�s footsteps.����ɫ��Ƭ�

����ɫ��Ƭ�I����ɫ��Ƭ�m thinking about being a surgical tech like my sister, like helping out the doctors and handing them the tools for the procedures and stuff,����ɫ��Ƭ� Osborne said.