Emerging Health Professionals is a 12th-grade program; Health & Medical Sciences is for underclassmen.

• Work alongside and build relationships with doctors and nurses as they treat patients in local hospitals

• Earn eight college credits for dual enrollment courses in anatomy and physiology at LCCC or Penn State

• Explore health-related careers while using advanced medical equipment and diagnostic techniques

We’re accepting applications for the 2026-2027 Emerging Health Professionals program. The deadline is Friday, Jan. 23, 2026.

Learn more & apply

Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, physical therapist — those are the job titles for three of the nation’s Top 5 best paid and most-wanted professionals. All three earn a median annual salary of $115,000 or (much) more. Our award-winning Emerging Health Professionals program is a must-consider for rising high school seniors interested in these and other medical professions. The intensive, dual-enrollment program is designed to give students a head start on college and expose them to a variety of health care careers through hands-on training and clinical study at Lehigh Valley Health Network facilities, among others. In order to be eligible for this distinguished program, students must:

• Reside in one of Lehigh County’s nine school districts
• Be rising seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or better and an excellent attendance record
• Have completed biology and chemistry, each with grades of B or better
• Have either scheduled trigonometry or completed it with a grade of B or better
• Meet academic prerequisites for Lehigh Carbon Community College and Penn State Lehigh Valley
• Submit an application and a written recommendation from their high school counselor or teacher

In a typical school week, students spend one half-day immersed in the program curriculum at LCTI, two half-days in science courses at LCCC or PSU and two half-days shadowing health professionals or participating in other activities at LVHN and SLUHN’s campuses. Successful participants complete the program with at least eight readily-transferable college credits. Students also have opportunities to earn industry credentials that signal their readiness for higher learning to college admissions officers and prepare them to work in the health care field.

In 2018, the Emerging Health Professionals program was recognized as the:

PA-ACTE Program of the Year

Find out what Emerging Health Professionals alumni Dan Everett, Rob Gyory and Rosalie Mattiola have to say about the program:

Industry Credentials

Emerging Health Professionals students can earn the following certifications and credentials in high school:

• BLS Healthcare Provider and Heartsaver First Aid via American Heart Association®
• Personal Care Home – Direct Care Staff Certification via Pa. Dept. of Human Services
• OSHA Certification via CareerSafe®
• Pennsylvania Skills Certificate via NOCTI®

College Credits

Emerging Health Professionals is a dual-enrollment program that allows students to earn eight readily transferrable college credits from the following school(s):

• Lehigh Carbon Community College
• Penn State Lehigh Valley

Career Pathways

with bachelor’s degree

• Biomedical Engineer
• Public Health Educator
• Registered Nurse

with master’s degree:

• Nurse Practitioner
• Physician Assistant
• Speech Language Pathologist

with doctoral degree:

• Physical/Occupational Therapist
• Physician/Surgeon