It is graduation season. An impressive list of seniors are walking the stage, and among them are nine Fox Tech High School students from the Healthcare Professions Institute with a special achievement. These students earned their Patient Care Technician certification - a first for the school.  

The students are Gabriel Ramirez, Anna Tiller, D’Mon Walker, Moses Torres, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Edmund Rivera, Tatum Ortiz, Ruth Mendoza and Natalia Moreno. 

Fox Tech H-TECH & Health Magnet coordinator E. Lynn Hernandez couldn’t be more thrilled. She said it’s a defining moment for not only the students, but the Health Professions Institute and H-TECH program at SAISD as well. 

“The majority of our students will be attending post-secondary institutions after graduation,” Hernandez said. “Many will pursue higher-level occupations in the medical field. We anticipate that these certifications will greatly increase our students’ trajectory by offering them employment options that they might not have had with only a Medical Assistant or Nurse’s Assistant certification.” 

As it stands, the students are eligible to work in hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes, medical laboratories, and other related healthcare institutions because the Fox Tech program is a combination of a Certified Nurse’s Assistant and Certified Medical Assistant program through industry partners such as University Health System and Methodist Health System. Additionally, the new Patient Care Technician certification can include endorsements and certifications for additional areas of healthcare, like phlebotomy, which students recently completed. An EKG Technician certificate is being added for next school year. 

The new certifications became available to students when teacher Pauline Sanchez joined the Fox Tech teaching staff. 

“After taking and passing the Patient Care Technician certification exam, Mrs. Sanchez’s students were excited and surprised at their accomplishment,” Hernandez said. “This is the first year that we’ve offered this certification; it’s significantly more rigorous than the certification that we offered in prior years.” 

Through Fox Tech’s H-TECH program, students are able to earn an Associate of Science degree and get on the fast track for a Registered Nurse certification. They also will be able to earn a bachelor's degree in Nursing. 

“I, for one, as the Health Magnet H-TECH coordinator, am beyond proud of this group’s accomplishments,” Hernandez said. “Stay tuned - they’re sure to keep surprising us!” 

Read more about SAISD P-TECH and H-TECH programs for information on how to enroll.