Texas Border Business
Mission High School (MHS) Career and Technical Education introduced a new program this year that will help monitor heart health and students are already taking advantage of it. Two MHS students, Brandon Cortina and Kevin Santos-Guzman enrolled in this program because they know it will help them as they seek careers in the medical field.
“I have been enrolled in this course since the beginning of the school year,” states Brandon Cortina, MHS senior. “This course will help me gain knowledge for when I attend South Texas College and start my coursework in becoming a Registered Nurse.”
The Electrocardiograph (EKG) program is a two-semester course and after completion, students can take an exam in order to receive state certification. Students are learning how to monitor and evaluate possible heart problems. Their acquired skills can be used in a variety of different career settings.
“I decided to take the EKG program because it’s a good class and it puts me on the road to becoming a paramedic,” states Kevin Santos-Guzman, MHS senior. “I will be attending South Texas College and I want to get my EMS certification to eventually become a paramedic.”
Students have been learning how to apply small electrodes on the chest, sides, or hips and how to monitor electrical activity of the heart. All the information is then recorded on special graph paper for a final result. The machine monitors regularity and rate of heartbeats, data is used to determine position and size of cardiac chambers, presence of any heart damage, and effects of drugs or heart-regulating devices.
“We currently have a pharmacy tech course and we decided to add the EKG program so that students could broaden their skills,” states Dr. Hector Juarez Torrero, MHS EKG instructor. “The course is rigorous and very demanding, but at the end, students will have learned the anatomy and physiology of the heart.”
There are several prerequisites before students can take their online test in May which include: (1) must complete the program (2). must have their high school diploma or about to graduate, (3). must be 18 years of age. For more information on this program, contact Dr. Hector Juarez Torrero (MHS instructor) at (956)323-5700 or Mr. Sergio Pena (Career and Technical Director) at (956) 323-4408.
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