PATHWAY CONNECTION

Essex County College (ECC) partnered with Essex County Schools of Technology and the Montclair School District. All parties signed MOUs and the respective governing boards approved same to allow their high school students to take ECC courses as part of a new dual enrollment program for General Science majors. This model dual enrollment program is the start of the Healthcare Information Management pathway for high school students and will provide opportunities for students to receive stackable credentials as well as college credit.

Specifically, ECC created a General Science dual enrollment program consisting of 3 courses for which high school students may earn college credit toward the Associate of Science in General Science degree that will soon articulate to the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Information Management degree at Rutgers University. The 3 courses are: (1) Biology – Anatomy and Physiology 1, (2) Biology – Anatomy and Physiology 2, and (3) Math – Statistics and Probability.

ECC also partnered with the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (the association for Healthcare Information Management professionals) to gather industry market information for career awareness of high school students about the many careers and salary levels of current and future employment opportunities in this industry.