80 Health Science Students Receive Certifications Through Program

Updated: June 8, 2024

LFCISD

Los Fresnos CISD students in the Career and Technical Education Health Science program received their pins during a ceremony at Los Fresnos High School.
The students earned a total of eighty certifications in one of five healthcare-based programs at Los Fresnos High School. The programs are part of the CTE Health Science pathway of study, which exposes students to the medical field. Students may take entry-level courses as early as sixth grade before making the transition to their program of choice in high school.

The programs offered at Los Fresnos High School are EMT, Medical Assistant, Pharmacy, Patient Care Technician, and Phlebotomy.
“The PCT/Phlebotomy program has allowed me to gain new hand-on experiences I would not have been able to receive at such a young age,” said Nick Costilla, a senior at Los Fresnos High School.
“Our Practicum in Health Science programs offer a jumpstart to graduating seniors by getting them into real-world settings early,” said Luis Muniz, Patient Care Technician/Phlebotomy instructor.

Students in all five programs take part in clinical rotations in a hospital or clinical setting, where they apply the knowledge and skills they acquire in the classroom. The students work in various departments such as labor and delivery, post-partum, physical therapy, cardiac rehab, and laboratory.
Once coursework is complete, students may test to earn national certifications at no cost. This results in time and money savings for students and their families in their path to postsecondary readiness and achievement.

“Having these credentials on their resumes demonstrates their commitment to the healthcare profession and sets them apart from other applicants. With these IBCs, graduates of LFCISD can be confident they will have a significant advantage as they enter the workforce and begin their careers in healthcare,” said Rolando Guerra, Career and Technical Education Director.

“Stopping with these certifications is not my plan. I will continue my healthcare pathway by attending the University of Houston for Biochemical/Biophysical Sciences. I hope to attend medical school to become a pediatrician,” said Costilla.
In the 2023-2024 school year, approximately 137 students at Los Fresnos High School earned Health Science related certifications, including:
EMT: 5 students
Pharmacy: 12 students
Patient Care Technician: 41 students
Phlebotomy: 57 students
Medical Assistant: 22 students