HEART Program at OhioHealth Southeastern Medical Center Gives Students a Head Start in Healthcare
A one-of-a-kind partnership with Guernsey County high schools and OhioHealth Southeastern Medical Center is helping students explore healthcare careers before they graduate. The HEART program (Hospital Education And Real-World Training) gives juniors and seniors hands-on experience in the hospital, and in some cases, job offers.
The program allows students to shadow healthcare workers in respiratory therapy, cancer care, imaging, physical therapy, lab services, environmental services, nutrition and registration.
“It is an absolutely wonderful program,” said Madi Fraley, career navigator at Meadowbrook High School. “Students loved it. They experienced so much.”
One of those students is Kendyl Trott, an 18-year-old Meadowbrook graduate who participated in the program during the 2024–2025 school year. Trott completed a rotation in radiology, a field she had been interested in for a long time, and now works as a patient support assistant in the hospital’s float pool. This fall, she’ll begin studying radiology at the University of Rio Grande.
“This, from my perspective, is a generational and foundational investment by OhioHealth to strengthen the community we serve,” said Wendy Elliott, president of Southeastern Medical Center. “Many times young people think only in terms of doctors and nurses when they think about hospital careers. Those are great professions, but there are many other phenomenal jobs. By exposing these young people to hospital careers, they get a broader view of opportunities, and we grow our pipeline of local talent.”
That pipeline is already taking shape. This past year, two HEART students were hired by the hospital, and another is in the interview process. Christopher Haight, human resources advisor at Southeastern Med, works closely with Fraley and Tricia Nichols, a career navigator at Cambridge High School, to help students gain real-world experience while also supporting the hospital’s staffing needs.
“We’re very pleased with the caliber of young workers we’ve hired,” Haight said. “This is a testament to the high school career navigators who are very aware of our needs and values and regularly recommend great candidates. I consider them part of the team and reach out to them first when any jobs become available.”
And it’s not just a one-way benefit. Students are helping the hospital improve, too.
“The students bring a fresh set of eyes and ask important questions that allow the hospital to think about processes in a new way,” Elliott said.
For the upcoming school year, HEART will expand to include a fall session for 12 juniors interested in healthcare careers and a spring session for seniors who are seeking entry-level jobs after graduation. The program will also add lectures on topics like hospital finances, wellness practices, health insurance, career pathways and life safety skills.
“It’s eye-opening,” said Nichols. “It’s really exciting, and it gets them out of the box. They have nothing but good things to say, and they get other students interested.”
The HEART program supports the hospital’s goal of doubling the number of associates between the ages of 16 and 20 while continuing a proud tradition of hiring from within the community.
To learn more about student opportunities at OhioHealth, click here.
