Teachers Become Students in Externship Program

ISD teachers gain authentic career training through Project Lead the Way externship programs offered through Missouri Career Pathways, the Career Education Consortium and the Independence School District. The biomed externship focuses on providing STEM teachers with insight into training needed for students to succeed in the biomedical field.

During the three-day program, ISD STEM teachers joined teachers from nearby districts to participate in classes and hands-on training in dental assisting, EMS and surgical technology at the MCC Penn Valley Health Science Institute. The teachers spent a day at Children’s Mercy Hospital, touring the Genome Center and shadowing patients from admission through discharge. On the final day of the program, teachers shadowed multiple departments at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, including the pharmacy, radiation, infusion center and laboratories.

“This experience has been one of the absolute best professional developments I have ever been a part of. I’ve learned so much by shadowing different healthcare professionals and asking questions. The knowledge I have gained I will bring back to my classroom to better prepare students for a career in the field,” Truman High School teacher Joshua Seeley said.

Teacher externship opportunities focused in other Academy Pathways continue through August at several locations, including Corporate Copy Print, Heart of America Shakespeare and Truman Medical Center. Participating teachers expand their knowledge of the professions associated with their Pathways, taking what they learn back to the classroom and their students. The externship program in the Independence School District is one more way we ensure our teaching matches what workplaces demand in order to best prepare ISD students for college and career success.