From the President

 

Our students will learn how to take a blood pressure reading skillfully, interpret a test result accurately, and follow a treatment protocol faithfully. Precise technical skills matter. But just as important to the patient experience is what happens when that student looks up and speaks to the person in front of them, human to human.

At the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, from the first day of classes, we have interwoven both parts of that encounter. Our students have already displayed an interest in helping others throughout the application and admissions process. We want to deepen that commitment as they gain the knowledge and skills to pursue healthcare careers.

The human part of healthcare long ago came to be known as “bedside manner” — the image of the kindly white-coated doctor with a warm smile, stethoscope, tongue depressor and a clipboard asking for symptoms. With heightened technology and large, sometimes impersonal, healthcare systems, the need for listening carefully, explaining clearly and recognizing that a patient may be frightened or unsure how to ask for help has only grown. A good healthcare professional with any level of responsibility for patient care pays attention to those needs while making sound technical decisions.

The human side is a major part of the ASHS curriculum, with our Healthcare Leadership and Professionalism classes already a hit with students. For instance, they recently explored empathy and trauma-informed care with Chelsea Walsh, a marriage and family therapist and coach with a nationally known podcast and Substack column.

She reminded them that “Listening is clinical information,” and that when patients feel understood, they may offer important details that a clinician might otherwise miss.  She offered students a practical way to approach each encounter with CARE — Connect, Assess, Respond, Engage — and a goal to see a person, rather than a diagnosis or a room number.

Teachers Bridget Cain and Amber Emerson brought that lesson to life by combining their HL&P classes for a simulation called “Walking in the Patient’s Shoes.” Students role-played through a visit from check-in to a conversation, taking turns as patients and healthcare workers.

Their teachers built in communication challenges that made students notice when someone was confused, anxious or struggling to explain what they needed. From the patient’s side, students could feel how much tone, body language, patience and a clear explanation shape the experience of care.

Dr. Brittney Anderson, owner of Anderson Family Care in Demopolis — and a coach and podcaster on establishing private medical practices — recently brought another dimension of patient care to an all-school assembly. Students took the role of the doctor while she played a patient facing a situation drawn from rural family medicine. Together, they discussed how they might respond: What does this person need to understand? What might be getting in the way of care? How can a clinician earn trust?

Dr. Anderson’s family practice is part of everyday life in Demopolis, and she serves on ASHS’s statewide Board of Trustees following her appointment by Gov. Kay Ivey. She is one of the remarkable professionals our students are meeting in healthcare and research. These encounters let students ask honest questions about the work, explore new interests and see the personal rewards of helping someone live a healthier life or face a health challenge with strength and optimism.

They are also grasping how their setting matters. Across rural Alabama, getting even basic care can be difficult. Students are already understanding the needs behind that reality: The distance to an appointment, the challenge of finding a provider or the strain of managing an illness while meeting the demands of daily life. As they learn about healthcare, we want them to know the communities they may one day serve.

Community service is part of that education. It gives students a chance to listen before assuming they know what will help, to work alongside others and to consider how they can make a difference in their home communities.

Caring for others also requires learning to care for oneself. Healthcare work can be demanding, and our students are developing habits that will help them manage stress, ask for support, and sustain their sense of purpose.

ASHS has begun recruiting for an expanded student body in the 2027-28 school year who will be the first to study and live on our new residential campus in Demopolis, adjacent to Whitfield Regional Hospital, our healthcare partner. If you are or you know a young person who is curious about healthcare and drawn to helping others, we would love for you to learn more at ALhealthcareHS.org

No school can prepare students for the full range of opportunities in healthcare and help meet communities’ needs with a standard high school curriculum. At the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, partnerships are not an added benefit of the student experience: They are critical to its success.

Our unique mission requires outstanding teachers and rigorous academics through a “lens of healthcare,” along with hands-on instruction. Yet our students also must observe healthcare in action, learn directly from professionals, and understand the many paths available to them. Through community connections, they need to share their newfound healthcare knowledge and see how they can make a difference.

Our growing and deepening relationships with healthcare professionals, colleges and universities, workforce organizations and community leaders make those experiences possible and turn “students” into “healthcare providers” long before they receive their high school diploma.

For parents, ASHS’s network of support means their children’s education extends far beyond the classroom. Through relationships developed with organizations such as Alabama HOSA and the Alabama Area Health Education Centers Network, students can connect with professionals, explore career fields, develop leadership skills and begin building a foundation for their futures.

Those opportunities began even before our first freshman and sophomore students reported for classes in August.

This summer, 30 students participated in ASHS at UAB Day, where they explored potential pathways into healthcare, higher education and research. They saw firsthand that a future in healthcare can take many forms, including careers they may never have considered.

Since the school year began, our students have heard from powerful guest speakers who have challenged them to think deeply about patient care, rural health, professional responsibility, personal mindfulness,and community needs. They have gained hands-on exposure through the University of West Alabama’s athletic training department and visited leading healthcare partner Whitfield Regional Hospital in Demopolis.

These experiences help students connect what they are learning to the people, places and professions where that knowledge can make a difference. They also allow young people to ask important questions early: What interests me? Where are my strengths? What kind of healthcare career might be right for me?

We are only getting started.

Outreach is underway to build additional relationships with hospitals, clinics, colleges and universities, healthcare organizations, employers and philanthropies across Alabama. We also are working to establish healthcare and education partnerships in the communities our students call home.

That local connection is especially important. We want students to return home and begin applying what they have learned through service, observation, mentorship and, as they advance, meaningful hands-on experiences. They should not have to wait until college or professional training to discover the impact they can make. They can begin to see it now — in their own communities and among the people they know best.

Project Horseshoe Farm founder Dr. John Dorsey and a team of student volunteers recently introduced ASHS students to the nonprofit’s nationally recognized approach to community health, exploring how they can begin improving health in their own communities through volunteer service.

Just last week, our sophomores traveled to Demopolis to see how Live HealthSmart Alabama’s mobile clinic and market are improving health in the rural community through twice-monthly health screenings and access to affordable fresh food, including produce from local farms. Once the permanent ASHS campus is fully operational, plans call for it to host the clinic and market, with juniors and seniors routinely serving the community as part of their education.

For our partners, these are opportunities to help shape Alabama’s future healthcare workforce. By sharing expertise, opening doors, supporting programs or investing in the school’s mission, partners can help students develop the knowledge, confidence and practical experience needed to serve communities across our state.

For parents, these partnerships offer something equally valuable: The assurance that their children are surrounded by people and organizations invested in their success.

As ASHS grows, so will this network of opportunity. Recruitment activities soon will launch for a significantly expanded student body that will begin classes next year at our permanent campus in rural Demopolis. We are eager to meet prospective students and families — and to welcome additional partners and supporters who believe in preparing young people to strengthen healthcare in Alabama.

Learn more about ASHS, explore opportunities to connect and follow our growth at ALhealthcareHS.org⁠

The residential experience at the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences is about much more than where students sleep at night.

It is an essential part of how they learn.

Healthcare careers require specialized knowledge, technical skill and sound judgment. They also demand maturity, teamwork, leadership and a highly developed sense of personal responsibility. Healthcare professionals must manage their time, care for their own well-being, work closely with others, and remain dependable when the stakes are the highest, in literal life-and-death situations.

Coursework alone cannot develop those skills and qualities.

Residential life gives ASHS students a structured and supportive environment in which to explore and practice greater independence. Living away from home requires them to make everyday decisions that may, until now, have been made largely by parents or guardians. When will I study? What will I eat? When will I exercise? Have I left enough time to wash my clothes, complete an assignment and get plenty of sleep?

These may seem like ordinary decisions, and yes, everyone eventually must tackle them. Collectively, however, taking on self-management early is helping our students develop the habits and self-discipline that will shape their success in school, in a healthcare career and throughout life.

If they make a misstep along the way, isn’t it far better to learn from it now, within a strong support system, than while living away from home for the first time in college or beginning their first healthcare job?

That is why, through careful thought and design, our students are already learning those lessons while living on the University of West Alabama campus during ASHS’ first year. The setting is temporary as we await completion of our custom-built residential facilities in Demopolis for next school year, but the personal growth taking place is already visible.

As the head of school, seeing our self-motivated teens arrive for their first morning class wide awake, well fed, neatly groomed and clothed — through their own practices and choices — always makes me smile.

In the UWA dining hall, for example, students encounter an unprecedented range of selections at every meal. They are learning that independence means more than choosing what they want. It also means considering what their bodies need and making thoughtful decisions about nutrition.

Full disclosure: We started with a few blips as students had the freedom to choose unlimited pizza and ice cream or were missing their home cooked favorites. But a speaker from UWA’s food services was quickly booked into our weekly assembly to offer guidance, supplementing the suggestions of the ASHS personnel who accompany students to each meal. Improvement has been noticeable.

Students are learning to incorporate exercise and mindfulness into their routines, manage their own laundry and appropriate daily attire, and organize their time. They’re working on balancing academics, school activities, friendships, recreation, rest, and the responsibilities of daily life.

They are also discovering that living in a community requires cooperation, patience, consideration and accountability.

No one expects teenagers to master all of that immediately. In fact, the residential model is valuable precisely because students do not have to navigate these new responsibilities alone.

Our support team approaches residential life as an important part of each student’s personal and professional development. Experienced residential staff members — a live-in director, an RA and six house parents — attend to the everyday details of campus living while helping students build habits that can serve them long after high school.

Our academic counselor helps students manage rigorous coursework, set goals and make informed decisions about their educational paths. Our mental health counselor helps them develop healthy ways to manage stress, navigate relationships and maintain balance. Our campus nurse provides care when students are ill and actively engages them in health and wellness education.

Together, these professionals create a network of guidance, encouragement and accountability. They step in when students need help, but they also know when to let students work through a challenge, make a decision or take greater responsibility for themselves.

That balance is important. Independence does not mean never needing assistance. In healthcare especially, good judgment includes knowing when to ask a question, seek support or rely on the expertise of a colleague.

Residential life also creates opportunities for students to lead. They learn to speak up, help solve problems, support a classmate and contribute to the well-being of the larger community. Sometimes leadership means taking charge. At other times, it means listening, compromising or recognizing that someone else needs encouragement.

One way we are creating those opportunities is through the ASHS House System. Students recently were assigned at random to one of four houses, each named for a quality important to healthcare: Empatia, representing empathy; Innovare, innovation; Resolutia, resolution; and Aequitas, equity and fairness.

After a civil but lively campaign, elections were held this week for house leaders, who collectively will serve in a role similar to a student council. The houses will provide structure, build traditions and encourage teamwork, with a little friendly competition along the way. Just as importantly, their House gives every student one more connection and another circle of support within the larger ASHS community.

ASHS’s residential life is not simply a set of dormitory rules and expectations. These are life lessons and preparation for careers in which teamwork, reliability and concern for others are indispensable.

Our students are taking charge of their lives in ways both large and small. They will make mistakes, adjust their routines and continue learning what works. That, too, is part of growing up.

As every adult eventually discovers, mastering self-control, managing time and creating a balanced life are not achievements completed once and checked off a list. They are lifelong quests and practices.

At ASHS, our students have launched their journeys early.

As we prepare to meet more students and families across Alabama and welcome an expanded student body in 2027-28, it seems fitting to answer one of the most important questions we hear:

Who is the ideal ASHS student?

The answer may surprise you. There is no perfect résumé. Despite our intense focus on healthcare education and career preparation, we do not expect students to arrive with every step of their educational and career journeys already planned.

The ideal ASHS student is curious, caring and motivated. They are interested in healthcare, eager for an academic challenge and willing to grow as a learner, colleague and member of a residential school community.

Some students may arrive with a clear direction, ready to prepare for careers in nursing, medicine, biomedical research, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, radiologic technology or another healthcare field. Others may simply know that science interests them, helping people matters to them and healthcare is a field they want to explore more fully.

Whether laser-focused or still exploring, you could belong at ASHS.

Students and families can begin by considering these questions together:

Are You Interested in Healthcare?

You may be someone who has always wondered how the body works, what helps people recover from illness or injury, or how hospitals and clinics care for patients. Perhaps a family member works in healthcare, or you or someone close to you has needed medical care. You may enjoy science classes, volunteer in your community or pay close attention to fitness, nutrition or mental well-being.

At ASHS, students can connect those experiences and interests to three healthcare-focused pathways:

• Nursing provides hands-on clinical learning designed to prepare students for high-demand nursing careers.
• Biomedical Sciences/Pre-Med provides advanced coursework and dual-enrollment opportunities for students interested in medicine, scientific research and related fields.
• Allied Health introduces students to essential healthcare professions, including medical laboratory science, surgical technology, and emergency medical technology and transport.

These pathways are the starting line. Along their individualized journeys, students can deepen an existing interest or discover an entirely new direction.

Are You Ready to Work?

ASHS offers challenging academics, healthcare-focused instruction and opportunities to prepare for college, further training and the workforce.

An interest in math and science — and a willingness to strengthen those skills — will serve you well. So will an interest in STEMM — science, technology, engineering, math and medicine — and a solid record in your other academic subjects.

But grades and test scores do not tell us everything.

We also look for determination. Do you keep trying when work becomes difficult? Can you embrace what is challenging as eagerly as what comes easily? Are you willing to ask questions, accept guidance and improve your study and personal habits? Can you manage deadlines, or are you prepared to learn how?

Healthcare careers require knowledge, discipline and lifelong learning. Students who succeed at ASHS will be willing to put in the effort, take responsibility for their learning and keep moving forward when a challenge requires more than one attempt.

Do You Want to Help People?

Healthcare requires knowledge and skill, but it also requires patience, compassion and respect.

Do people trust you? Are you a good listener? Do you notice when someone needs assistance? Can you work comfortably with people whose backgrounds and experiences differ from your own?

You do not have to be the most outgoing person in the room. Some excellent healthcare professionals are confident speakers and natural leaders. Others are careful observers, thoughtful problem-solvers or the calm voice in a crisis.

There are many ways to contribute. What matters is caring about the people your work may someday serve and respecting the colleagues who will serve alongside you.

Do Rural Communities Matter to You?

ASHS was created in response to Alabama’s need for more skilled healthcare professionals, particularly in rural communities.

Maybe you have grown up in a small town and understand what it means to travel for medical care or wait for an appointment because too few providers are available nearby. You may have family roots in rural Alabama or know a local hospital, clinic or nursing facility that struggles to find enough trained employees.

Or you may live in a larger community or urban area but want to use your skills where they are especially needed.

If helping strengthen healthcare in the Alabama communities with the greatest need sounds meaningful to you, ASHS will help connect you while experiencing life and work in rural Demopolis.

Can You Be a Leader and a Team Member?

Healthcare professionals rarely work alone. They communicate, solve problems and depend on one another.

Leadership does not always mean being in charge. It can mean stepping forward when help is needed, following through on a responsibility or helping a group work toward a common goal.

At ASHS, every student will have opportunities to contribute,  and every contribution will matter.

Are You Ready to Live Away From Home?

ASHS is a residential high school. Students live on campus, attend classes together and share the responsibilities and opportunities of campus life.

Living away from home can be exciting, but it also requires growing independence. Students learn to manage their schedules, keep track of their belongings, share space, respect rules and work through disagreements. They also accept greater responsibility for their physical and mental well-being by developing sensible eating, exercise and sleep habits.

No one is expected to arrive knowing how to handle everything independently. Teachers, counselors and residential staff will provide guidance and support. The important question is whether you are willing to communicate openly, accept help and make developing those life skills part of your education.

A Place to Begin

As you consider ASHS, think about what first sparked your interest in healthcare, what you hope to discover and the difference you might make someday.

For the 2027-28 school year, our growing community is scheduled to move to its permanent campus in Demopolis. There, challenging academics, residential life, hands-on learning and connections to healthcare professionals will come together in one place, all designed to help students turn potential into preparation and interest into purpose.

You do not need to arrive with every answer. If you bring curiosity, commitment and a willingness to grow, ASHS can help you discover your place in healthcare and the world.

Students at the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences take English, mathematics, sciences and social studies. They complete a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum and meet the same academic standards expected of students across Alabama.

But at ASHS, even the fundamentals are taught through a different lens, with microscopic detail and intensity.

Through our “Lens of Healthcare,” students explore how the subjects they study connect to human health, healthcare systems and the communities those systems serve. Mathematics becomes a tool for interpreting patient data. Science connects directly to the human body, disease and treatment. English and social studies help students examine communication, ethics, public policy and the social conditions that influence health.

The academic foundation is familiar, but the context, intentionality and connections are distinctly ASHS.

Starting Sooner

Traditionally, students interested in healthcare complete a general high school education and wait until college, technical school or professional training to begin specializing. They may not enter a clinical setting or explore the daily realities of a healthcare career until they have already invested considerable time and money in that path.

ASHS accelerates that exploration and much of the preparation, moving it into high school.

Students receive advanced healthcare instruction, explore a broad range of professions and work toward industry-recognized credentials. Through clinical observation, job shadowing and other on-the-job experiences, they begin learning alongside healthcare professionals.

That early exposure helps students make informed decisions. They can discover which careers fit their abilities and interests, understand the education each requires and begin developing the skills and professional expectations that healthcare employers demand.

Some ASHS graduates will enter the workforce directly. Others will continue to college or professional school with advanced coursework, practical experience and a much clearer sense of direction.

Learning Where They Live

The residential experience is another essential part of the ASHS model. Living away from home during high school requires students to manage their time, meet responsibilities, resolve differences and learn when to ask for help. Those are important life skills, and they are also essential career skills.

Healthcare is collaborative. It depends on people who can communicate clearly, work as part of a team, respond constructively to challenges and remain dependable when others are counting on them. Residential life gives students daily opportunities to acquire and practice those habits.

Students are also playing meaningful roles in creating and leading aspects of campus life, always under the watchful eyes of trained, experienced adults. Through clubs, activities, traditions and service projects, they will learn that a strong community is not simply provided for them but something they share responsibility for building.

The relationships and collaborative habits developed here can have an enduring impact on them and everyone whose lives they touch.

Support for the Whole Student

High expectations must be matched by strong support.

ASHS students have access to an academic counselor who helps them navigate coursework, dual enrollment and future educational and career decisions. They also have a mental health counselor whose work includes helping each student develop practical habits for managing stress, maintaining perspective and creating a healthy balance among school, work, relationships and personal well-being.

That support continues after the academic day ends. Our highly trained, live-in residential team provides guidance, structure and a dependable adult presence. Together, these professionals help students develop habits that can sustain them through demanding healthcare education and careers.

A Rural Strategy Built in Rural Alabama

ASHS also differs in how it approaches the specificity of the problem it was created to address: Alabama’s shortage of healthcare professionals, particularly in rural communities.

That purpose begins with our permanent location in Demopolis, adjacent to Whitfield Regional Hospital. Students will learn in a rural community and region where the need for a strong healthcare workforce is immediate and visible.

But the strategy extends statewide. ASHS is forging partnerships in students’ home communities so they can gain experience, build professional relationships and begin serving their own areas while still in high school. For students from rural Alabama, healthcare will not be presented only as a career that requires leaving home. It also can be a way to return, contribute and build a meaningful life in the communities that raised them.

ASHS was not created to reproduce what already exists. If it were like every other comprehensive high school or every other healthcare-focused high school, it would not have earned the continuing support from leaders and institutions across business, government, education, healthcare and philanthropy that brought the concept to life.

That support reflects confidence in a highly specific model: Begin earlier, connect academics to purpose, combine rigorous preparation with real experience, support the whole student and build a workforce pipeline rooted in the communities that need it most.

That is what makes ASHS different and what positions it to glow as a light for Alabama’s “Future of Healthcare” and a potential beacon for communities across the nation.