The university is offering $80,000 in scholarships and grants to local high school students who complete the Hendrick Healthcare Academy program and pursue a healthcare-related major after high school graduation.

In a recent partnership between Hendrick and ACU, the program provides high school students an opportunity to learn about psychology, social work and other health professions through hands-on experience. The main goal is to encourage participants to stay local for college and future careers, said Toni Brockway, director of workforce development at Hendrick Health.

“The healthcare Academy is designed for high school students in ninth through 12th grade to just have opportunities to explore the different careers and pathways they can take in healthcare, and have some hands-on experience to help them make that decision for their future,” Brockway said. 

During the sophomore and junior years of the program, students can attend lab days at different universities. Brockway said this could include training related to athletic injuries, Emergency room situations or how to help patients using speech pathology. 

“This gives you the opportunity to really see and see if it matches your skill set and interest and passions, in a way that just, you know, learning about it in a classroom, or potentially, seeing it on TV or seeing it in a movie doesn’t really give you the real picture of what that job looks like,” Brockway said.

Dr. Dirk Nelson, dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, also highlighted the importance of hands-on experience.

“When they have that experiential type of learning, and when they come to campus and they get to do, maybe see and literally feel and experience opportunities that they haven’t done before,” Nelson said, “we’re hopeful that that’s going to make a very memorable experience for them and make an impact and encourage them to consider attending ACU for their schooling.”

Brockway said last year, the academy had 64 students, and this year they will have 222. There are already 250 applicants for next year, and hope other universities will join the program so more students can participate.

Nelson, however, said ACU stands out against other universities not only for its opportunities but for its commitment to its program goals.

“One of the strategic initiatives in our college is to educate students within our disciplines and then go out and become excellent providers, excellent clinicians, excellent teachers, excellent counselors, and reflect Jesus and exude the fruit of the Spirit to serve the underserved, to not overlook the overlooked,” Nelson said. “And that’s what we aim to do within the college.”

Brockway encourages students interested in healthcare to go through the Hendrick Healthcare Academy to gain experience and learn more about the field

“It also gives you an opportunity to learn about other career paths in healthcare that maybe they hadn’t thought about,” Brockway said. “They might not know about Respiratory Therapy. They might not know that they could be a medical lab tech. There are lots of jobs that most students tend to think doctor, nurse, and maybe don’t know much past that, and it gives them the chance to see that there is a wide range of career paths they could take in healthcare.”

The full scholarship eligibility requirements are listed below. 

• Successfully complete the Hendrick Healthcare Academy program, including attending lab days on the ACU campus
• Apply and be accepted to ACU’s residential campus
• Select a major in an academic program within ACU's College of Health and Behavioral
• Sciences or major in the health professions track or biomedical science track within the Onstead College of Science and Engineering

Students who meet those prerequisites will receive:

• Priority eligibility for ACU dual credit course offerings online
• Discounted tuition for dual credit courses at ACU
• Guaranteed $80,000 in ACU scholarships and grants toward tuition for eight long semesters ($20,000 per year)