De Queen High School is proud to partner with the University of Arkansas Cossatot to launch the Leopard Medical Academy beginning in the 2021-2022 school year. Leopard Medical Academy will be a medical pathway of concurrent courses that students in 10th-12th grades can take to acquire all of the pre-requisites for the LPN/RN degree programs at UAC. Students can apply for the eleven-month LPN program at UAC during their senior year of high school and then transition to the RN program upon acceptance. The Leopard Medical Academy will provide students with the opportunity to complete 46 hours of pre-requisite courses while in high school at no cost to the students. The completion of Leopard Medical Academy will also prepare students for the majority of the prerequisite courses for the PTA and OTA programs at UAC.
District Compliance Coordinator Misty Gentry stated, “This is an exciting opportunity for students who are interested in the medical field and another example of community stakeholders working together with De Queen Public Schools to prepare our students for future careers. We are excited to once again partner with UAC to offer this excellent opportunity for our students!”
DHS Principal Bryan Blackwood stated, “We are very excited to offer our students courses in the medical field. We have had many students that have made nursing their career choice. The Leopard Medical Academy will allow our students to enter the nursing program with all of their prerequisites completed.”
Superintendent Jason Sanders stated, “I want to thank UA Cossatot and Dr. Steve Cole for making this partnership available to us. One of our biggest goals in public education is that when we graduate a senior on a Friday night, that the student has a plan to go to on the next Monday morning. This program gives us a direct path for students interested in the medical field to take classes while in high school and go directly into a UA Cossatot medical program upon graduation.”
“For a parent, this program basically takes off a year of basic classes that the student can complete while in high school at no cost. We are very excited about the new hospital which will create opportunities for our students to take part in job shadowing for this program. This program has the potential to provide a future pipeline of De Queen students to fill needed job positions with the Sevier County Medical Center and other area healthcare employers.”
