Pasco County Schools and AdventHealth presented a plan to create hospital-based career pathways at Pasco High School that would begin with ninth- and 10th-grade cohorts and lead to stacked, industry-recognized credentials and paid youth apprenticeships by 11th grade. District staff and AdventHealth representatives described coursework and simulated clinical experiences designed to connect students directly to employment in high-demand health occupations.

"I'm here with Misty Palmer. She is our AdventHealth partner and has been committed to this project right from the very start," a district presenter told the board, introducing AdventHealth staff and an update on the planning grant and early implementation work. The presenters said they traveled to Houston to visit the Aldine School District and Hermann Memorial Hospital partnership and learned the health system often supplies the majority of investment and operational support for such programs.

Why it matters: Staff said the project is designed to produce "learn-and-earn" outcomes—students would gain hands-on clinical experience and stackable credentials that make them competitive for employment with AdventHealth or other providers. The presentation listed sample coursework and credentials including EKG, phlebotomy, emergency medical technician (EMT), paramedic preparation, sterile processing and surgical technologist training.

Presenters emphasized a sequence that front-loads rigorous academics in ninth and 10th grades so juniors and seniors can take CTE and postsecondary courses. "It is the hands on component that makes these young people preferred candidates for a job," Misty Palmer of AdventHealth said, describing simulation labs, a mock operating room and an on-site simulated ambulance for EMS training.

Postsecondary partners named in the presentation include AdventHealth University for several certificate programs and Pasco–Hernando State College for EMT certification and articulation into paramedic pathways, a staff member said. The presenters also described plans for summer immersion programs and possible accelerated substitutions for English courses to free schedule space for pathway coursework.

A central element of the plan is a youth apprenticeship model. Presenters said the long-term goal at full scale is to employ 50% of students in each pathway beginning in 11th grade, with paid work, high school credit and college credit. "Our goal at full scale, it will not start this way, is to employ 50% of the students in each pathway starting in eleventh grade," a presenter said, describing the intended on-the-job component.

Next steps listed by staff include recruiting students to Pasco High School, forming governance committees with representatives from both Pasco County Schools and AdventHealth on every committee, and outreach at public expos on Nov. 10 and Nov. 17 where simulators will be displayed. Staff said they plan to pilot an "infant" product at Pasco High in 2026 to demonstrate proof of concept and attract philanthropic and grant funding to scale the program.

Board members praised the initiative for its rigor and potential to blend college preparation with career-technical education. One board member asked whether freestanding surgery centers would be eligible apprenticeship sites; staff replied that "I don't think anything's off the table right now." Several members noted aligning middle-school coursework (Algebra I, Spanish I) could free student schedules to participate in the pathways.

What was not decided: The presentation did not include finalized apprenticeship employer agreements, budget numbers, or a firm start date beyond the stated aim to have a pilot product on the ground in 2026. Staff described philanthropic support as a target for scaling but did not specify amounts.

The district and AdventHealth said the partnership model allows for "on-ramps and off-ramps" so students who decide against hospital careers can transition to other postsecondary providers or employers while preserving stackable credentials earned in high school.