At the recent Lexington County School District One board meeting, members and attendees learned about two new pathways students can participate in promoting higher education and careers.

Lexington One has partnered with Lexington Medical Center (LMC) and Midlands Technical College to create the Lexington 1 MedStart career pathway. This gives students the opportunity to receive early college experience, real-world apprenticeships and even employment at LMC.

Students can choose between the surgical technologist pathway and the radiologic technologist pathway.

The MedStart career pathway begins sophomore year as students get to explore specific healthcare pathways, and during students' junior year, they begin general coursework.

During junior and senior years, students gain valuable hands-on experience through apprenticeships at LMC.

Students must have a 3.0 GPA, and go through the application process with LMC. Interviews will be conducted in April. LMC has room for 12 to 15 students per pathway each year. 

Juniors will participate in job shadowing and have unpaid internships available to explore numerous areas within each pathway. Seniors will have a paid internship or apprenticeship, working up to 20 hours per week each semester. 

High school graduates will attend Midlands Tech to complete the program and continue to work in their paid positions. Once a student is a full-time student at Midlands Tech, LMC will cover the student's tuition. 

During the presentation, Casey Calhoun, executive director of high schools and postsecondary pathways, provided the estimated costs of tuition for both the surgical technologist pathway and the radiologic technologist pathway. The estimated cost is approximately $200 per credit hour. 

Radiologic technologists need 30 credits over two semesters and surgical technologists are required to receive 32 credits over three semesters. Radiologic technologists' tuition would cost $6,000 and surgical technologists' would cost $6,400. 

After students successfully complete the program, they can secure their future with guaranteed employment at LMC.

The second pathway is called the LexingtonOne NextGen Educator pathway. This program has been created to prepare Lexington One students for careers in education. Students in their junior and senior years are able to participate.

This pathway allows students to participate in dual enrollment,  earning college credit. Throughout the two years, students will get time inside Lexington One classrooms with mentor teachers. 

School board member Beth Shealy raised the question of whether the education pathway would extend to the college realm or higher level.

Calhoun said the pathway may expand to cover those areas in the future.