Oklahoma City high schoolers at four campuses can start training for nursing careers without leaving their buildings, thanks to a new partnership between Oklahoma City Public Schools and Metro Technology Centers.

The program places Metro Tech nursing instructors inside college and career centers at John Marshall Enterprise, Star Spencer, Douglass and U.S. Grant high schools. Students take a nursing services course covering anatomy, physiology, medical terminology and long-term care. Juniors can earn a certified nursing assistant (CNA) credential, giving them a path into the workforce straight out of high school.

The centers were funded by a nearly $1 billion bond package OKCPS voters approved in 2022. Six high schools received centers that opened this school year, KGOU reported. The nursing services course is available at four of them.

Each school started with 12 students. The course counts toward three of six "pathway units" required under House Bill 3278, a 2024 state law that applies to the class of 2030 and beyond. The law, authored by former Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, and Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, requires students to complete credits aligned with an Individual Career and Academic Plan.

OKCPS surveyed families and students before choosing which pathways to offer. Kate Haydon-Emerson, the district's executive director of workforce development, told KGOU that healthcare topped the list of preferences in nearly every survey. Other pathways at the centers include cybersecurity, film and media, and advanced academics.

The healthcare push responds to a projected shortage. Oklahoma could be short nearly 6,000 registered nurses by 2038, according to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. Emily Coppock, vice president of clinical excellence at the Oklahoma Hospital Association, said the state will not have enough workers to care for its aging population. The association hosted a family information event in January 2026 featuring representatives from Mercy, INTEGRIS, SSM Health and OU Health.

At John Marshall, instructor Jessica Cochran teaches in a healthcare suite equipped with mannequins that talk to students as they practice patient care. Cochran came from Metro Tech to lead the course.

Michele Sanders, Metro Tech's dean of instruction, said the on-campus setup removes barriers such as transportation and scheduling conflicts that kept students from enrolling at Metro Tech's own facilities. The partnership also helps Metro Tech shrink its waitlist for nursing services, a course that fills every year.

Students are not locked into healthcare. If they decide the field is not for them, they can switch pathways.

"Students realize real fast, 'This isn't what I thought it was, and this isn't what I want to do.' And so they're able to pivot before they've spent a whole bunch of money on college or elsewhere," Sanders told KGOU.

Baker, who taught in public schools for about 20 years and is now director of education for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, said the law aims to help students feel the relevance of their education and stay in Oklahoma after graduation.

Students who did not get a spot in the nursing services course can explore healthcare careers at the Explore Healthcare: Oklahoma Virtual Career Expo on Oct. 23. The Zoom event will cover roles in mental health, administration, ultrasound and sonography and emergency medicine.