Columbus Community Hospital is proud to announce it has successfully completed the fifth academic year of its Health Science Pathway.
The Health Science Pathway has established itself as a major program for high school students who are considering healthcare careers. All three high schools — Columbus, Lakeview and Scotus Central Catholic — have robust curricula, and there are new offerings every year.
Steve Borer, principal at Lakeview Junior-Senior High School, said the Health Science Pathway program is a great example of community collaboration.
“We are helping students explore careers, gain real-world experience and see the possibilities for their future in healthcare,” he said. “We are thankful to be part of the program.”
Dave Hiebner, principal at Columbus High School, agreed with Borer, saying he is especially proud of the work completed by instructor Wendy Kallhoff, RN, BSN.
“The Health Science Pathway has been and will continue to be a shining example of the power of school and community partnerships,” Hiebner said. “We look forward to continuing and building this partnership in the years to come.”
The program’s accomplishments are detailed in the 2025-26 Health Science Pathway annual report, available now at https://www.columbushosp.org/about-us/reports/health-science-pathway-annual-report/.
The Health Science Pathway, a collaborative effort between CCH and local high schools, provides students with a unique opportunity to explore various healthcare careers through a comprehensive curriculum. The program helps prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals with its focus on real-world experience and hands-on learning.
One highlight for the 2025-26 year was the addition of both medical terminology and medication aide classes. These additional classes met both students’ and healthcare facilities’ needs.
“At a time when interest in career and technical education is growing, the Health Science Pathway program provides students with a valuable pathway to explore careers in the healthcare field,” said Terry Kathol, principal at Scotus Central Catholic High School. “The strong partnership between Scotus Central Catholic and CCH makes this opportunity possible and serves as a great example of how collaboration can create meaningful opportunities for our students.”
The program curriculum, which includes Health Science 1 (introduction to health care), Health Science 2 (advanced topics), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Health Science 3 (capstone job shadowing experience), has seen impressive enrollment numbers this year:
Health Science 1: 116 students
Health Science 2: 41 students
Health Science 3: 27 students
CNA: 78 students
Medical Terminology: 35 students
Medication Aide: 11 students
Tracy Long, RN, BSN, Health Science Pathway instructor, said she enjoys it when students realize healthcare is their true calling.
“What I love most about teaching health science and CNA is watching students go from simply being interested in healthcare to realizing that this is where they belong,” Long said. “I’m entering my fourth year as a Health Science Pathway instructor, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue helping prepare high school students for healthcare careers.”
CCH’s other instructor, Wendy Kallhoff, RN, BSN, agreed with Long, saying that she also enjoys seeing students reach milestone goals.
“Having Health Science Pathway in place now for over four years has allowed me to watch some of the students we’ve had in the program start to reach milestones in their future goals,” Kallhoff said. “It is great to realize what an impact we are having on each of these students, our community and especially our healthcare community. I am very proud of the Health Science Pathway and the students that have chosen to be a part of it.”
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