The Kosciusko-Attala Career Tech Center has offered the health science program for quite a few years now, with the last 13 years under the leadership of instructor Amy Price.
Now Price and the CTC are able to delight in the fruits of their labor, represented by D’Allegra Cochran and Abigail Joiner Wiltshire — the first health science graduates under Price who have gone on to earn their doctoral degrees. The two-year program has also spawned many nurses, medical technicians, and others with successful careers in the medical field. A few have already begun medical school or have previously been accepted.
Dr. D’Allegra Cochran
Dr. D’Allegra Cochran knew she wanted to go into healthcare but was uncertain about which avenue she wanted to pursue. She said part of the health science program’s curriculum involves choosing two medical professions and observing professionals in those areas to earn observation hours. She chose radiology tech and occupational therapy, but her heart decided on the latter.
“I like radiology, but then when I started doing my observation hours for occupational therapy, I was like, ‘Okay, I really like this,’” said Cochran.
After graduating from Kosciusko High School, Cochran attended the University of Mississippi where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science. She still had an interest in occupational therapy, and she already had prerequisite classes under her belt. Cochran applied to and was accepted into the occupational therapy program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. She spent three years at UMMC before graduating and completing her certification earlier this year. She currently holds her doctoral degree in occupational therapy and works as an occupational therapist at Southern Pediatric Therapy in Hernando.
In her new role, Cochran said she references medical terminology she originally learned in Mrs. Price’s health science class to this day.
“One of my clients will come in with a diagnosis that I practically know nothing about, but I can break it down based on the lessons that we had in her class,” she said. “A lot of clients that I have are children of various ages with various diagnoses. One of them came in diagnosed with a cancer that I was not too familiar with, but I broke down what the word meant based on knowledge I learned in health science.”
Cochran said learning the basics of anatomy also helped her once she got to Ole Miss, where the workload was much more strenuous. She said Price taught her the foundational knowledge she needed to succeed.
Cochran was also a member of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), an organization Price requires health science students to join. She fondly remembers her days participating in public speaking competitions where she won at the district and state levels. But her favorite memories in the health science program include going to the local hospital and clinics, where she got to make lasting connections with many of the health professionals around town.
“Since I graduated from UMMC, a lot of them have kept in touch with me, so I really love that part. Every day I think to myself, ‘I need to go back,’” she said. “I love Mrs. Price, and I’m so proud of her. She should keep doing what she is doing because she inspired me, and I know she has inspired many other students that came after me.”
Dr. Abigail Joiner Wiltshire
Dr. Abigail Joiner Wiltshire initially joined the health science program due to her love of science growing up. During the program, she decided to pursue a nursing career. She enjoyed training to be a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in Price’s class, and her sister is also a nurse. After graduating from Ethel High School, Wiltshire attended Millsaps College for four years, where she was a cheerleader, sorority member, and honors student. She was set on continuing to pursue a nursing career, but one of her professors convinced her that she had what it took to attend medical school.
“One of my professors honestly believed in me more than I believed in myself and showed me that medical school was a realistic thing that I can do. So, I applied for medical school my junior year and got in at UMMC,” said Wiltshire.
When she started at UMMC in 2017, she served as a fundraiser chair for the Pediatrics Interest Group (P.I.G.), a place for students interested in pediatric medicine to learn more about what it means to be a pediatrician. Wiltshire finished her doctorate in pediatrics at UMMC and knew she wanted to stay local with her family. She currently works as a resident pediatrician at the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children in Jackson.
Wiltshire said Price’s health science program offered her a first taste of anatomy and physiology and taught her the basic skills of nursing. She said much of what she learned in the health science program translates directly to her job in the medical field.
“Honestly, even now, it laid the foundation for things that I do every single day. You know, in the medical field, we have our own language, and some of the stuff that I learned in the allied health program was really pivotal in developing that feel. It really laid the foundation for things in my life, in regard to her class,” said Wiltshire.
Wiltshire also recalls connecting with local health professionals in the community when performing clinicals.
“Mrs. Price puts you in whatever field you are interested in and allows you to see what different people’s schedules and lifestyles are like in the healthcare field,” she said. “I remember I went to Premier Medical Group one day and shadowed their OT. I worked with Ginger Bain at the pharmacy at the hospital. I went to the vet’s office in Kosciusko as well, so I got to taste a little bit of everything, and I loved it.”
She also became involved in HOSA, where she competed in the public service announcement portion of competitions. Wiltshire said her group was given a topic and had to present or advocate for something related to the medical field. She even got to attend the national competition in Disney World after her group won at the state level for two consecutive years.
Wiltshire credited Price as being a great mentor and friend.
“She’s an awesome person, in general, so I think that really helps all of her students absolutely love her. She pushes you, but you know it’s with a good heart because she knows what you’re capable of and genuinely wants you to succeed at whatever job you end up pursuing in life after high school,” said Wiltshire.
The program
Price said she loves helping high schoolers navigate through their interests in healthcare and works to help them achieve their goals. She said counselor Tracy Hardy comes to her first-year classes every year and helps students narrow down careers that fall within their interests. After that, Price begins showing students how long it takes to attain their goal, what schools they can attend, and overall costs of further education.
“I feel like that's a really important part of what I do — helping students that come in thinking they have an interest in the medical field, to hopefully still want to do that after two years in this program,” said Price. “I teach them how to study, how to get accepted into programs, and then have them make decisions as to which direction they want to go.”
Second-year students usually attend clinicals, where they make connections from the classroom to the healthcare industry through work-based learning experiences and activities, mainly by shadowing health professionals. Due to COVID-19, health science students were not able to have clinicals last year or this semester, but Price hopes they can get back to those rotations soon.
Students in the CTC Health Sciences program get a lot of hands-on experience both in the classroom and through experience in real-world medical environments like hospitals and clinics.
Landon Gibson / The Star-Herald
“We have about 23 sites around town like the hospital which has probably eight sites within it such as the nursing floor, the pharmacy, and radiology. We also have the clinic, the therapy offices, the vet clinics, funeral homes, and dentist offices, so there are a lot of places around town,” she said.
Health Science also offers a special training to second-year students that many other health science programs do not have. The training, Mississippi Youth Preparedness Initiative (MYPI), teaches students how to respond to emergencies, such as having a disaster in town, and allows them to earn certification.
“It trains them to go out and triage people, if there are people hurt everywhere, until responders can get there. We've got about a week left in our training, but when they finish, they'll get a backpack containing all of the equipment they would need. They can just keep it in their car or wherever, and if they come upon a wreck or accident, now they're certified to help,” said Price.
Students also become CPR certified in the first year of the health science program. Another certification that Price’s class offers is the opportunity for students to earn their certified nurse aide (CNA) license once they complete the two-year program. Students can receive their licenses and immediately apply for CNA jobs if they are at least 18 years old. This can also serve as a steady part-time job for students pursuing further education.
The health science program is also a field subject to state testing. Once students complete their second year, they become eligible to take the National Center for Health Science Education exam (NCHSE).
Counselor Tracy Hardy said the test offered through the Mississippi Department of Health and can be taken after students complete their second year of health science. Last year, the first time the CTC administered the test, Price’s students scored the highest in the state. On top of that, 100 percent of her students passed the exam.
Another state test is given to first-year students called Career Planning and Assessment System (CPAS), and Price said her classes regularly place in the top five out of all programs in the state.
The instructor said it is exciting for students and parents to have a local outlet that prepares students for college and their career, and Cochran and Wiltshire prove that the program can produce future doctors. She tells students all the time that if they want to be in the medical field, this is the program for them. The class provides students with a way to figure out what they want to do now, before they head off to jobs or college unsure.
“This program is a good eye opener for students, and I guess that is why I love it so much. I always laugh and say I never knew in high school whether I wanted to be a nurse or a teacher, and now I’m both,” said Price. “I love what I teach, and this is the perfect role for me because I get to teach while still having my hand in the nursing and medical field.”
