High school students getting head start on healthcare careers through NICC

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Since the introduction of SCCP at NICC in summer 2021, high school students have completed 582 individual courses, including Dosage Calculations, Nutrition, Medical Terminology and Certified Nurse Aide (CNA).

NORTHEAST IOWA—For two area high school students, a summer credit healthcare program offered through Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) is paving the way for a successful nursing career. 

Sofia Rivera, a senior at Turkey Valley High School, and Ezra Sweeney, a senior at Waukon High School, participated in the State of Iowa grant-funded Summer College Credit Program (SCCP). In Iowa, 15 community colleges participate in SCCP and offer a variety of career and technical education course options designed for high school students in grades 9-12. As a SCCP participant, NICC offers courses in healthcare.

As a high school student concurrently enrolled through NICC, Rivera (pictured at right) completed Intro to Nutrition and Medical Terminology courses. Now she has a head start on her healthcare career and next January, she plans to enroll in pre-Nursing at NICC.

“Because of the summer program, I was able to continue my education and gain college experience that will benefit me in the future. I always knew I wanted to be in the healthcare field. I wanted to be a doctor since I was in Kindergarten. As time went on, I changed my focus to nursing. This was influenced by family who are nurses, as well as job shadows I experienced in my junior year of high school,” Rivera said.

The SCCP supports efforts to meet industry needs and prepare high school students for college and careers in high-demand fields. Authorized in 2018 as part of the Future Ready Iowa Act and supported by a $600,000 state appropriation, the SCCP has provided more than 5,300 students with free access to college-level coursework over the past four summers. The SCCP programming promotes participation in high-quality career and technical education programs that align to regional in-demand occupations and also leads students directly into
Last Dollar Scholarship programs at Iowa’s postsecondary educational institutions.

Ezra Sweeney’s interest in a nursing career emerged just this year. Participating in the SCCP
had the added benefit of helping Sweeney earn her Associate of Arts degree through NICC at the same time she graduated from high school.

“I had always wanted to pursue a career in psychology, and that was my plan until March or April of this year. I discovered the occupation of a psychiatric nurse practitioner and decided the occupation would fit exactly what I wanted to do,” Sweeney said (pictured at right). She’s enrolled as a pre-Nursing student at NICC next fall completing several prerequisites. 

“Grant-funded programs, like the Summer College Credit Program, are so important for high school students as they have the opportunity to get college credits while still in high school. Not only does this help students from a financial standpoint, but it also helps students figure out what they are interested in pursuing in college,” Sweeney said.

Since the introduction of SCCP at NICC in summer 2021, high school students have completed 582 individual courses, including Dosage Calculations, Nutrition, Medical
Terminology and Certified Nurse Aide (CNA).

NICC Dean of High School Partnerships, Katie Gilbert, says the collaboration between the College and high schools in the district makes the SCCP so successful for students like Sofia and Ezra.

“Since inception, our summer college credit program has served a significant group of students in the summer who are very driven and are extremely busy during their school year. Our partnerships with local high schools allow us to provide College and Career Coaches to assist these students during their summer term and beyond; providing support to enhance their success as they work towards careers in high-demand, high-wage occupations in Iowa,” Gilbert said.

Northeast Iowa Community College serves thousands of high school students in the region each year. For more information, visit nicc.edu/highschool.