A weekly newsletter about the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences

View from Demopolis

The Vision of

Christmas Future

This is, as the song goes, “The most wonderful time of the year,” with special meaning for us at ASHS.

Amid the mounting excitement over applications and interviews, behind-the-scenes work on curriculum pathways and residential protocols, and visible construction on the school site, experiencing the approach of Christmas in Demopolis with all its traditions has been a joy.

While visions of sugar plums are beginning to dance in our heads, so too are the images of how a year from now our ASHS family of students, faculty, and staff will be part of this small-town magic of lights, decorations, music and special events.

I can already picture our students packing up after their very first semester, heading home to celebrate with family and friends and to share the excitement of their brand-new, one-of-a-kind experience.

And that will be another milestone in the mission of ASHS: The first time for our students to carry their knowledge, compassion, and a heart for service back to their communities across Alabama.

Dr. Jimmy Martin

ASHS President



Two chances next week to ‘meet’ with us

It’s not too late to register for one of two Virtual Information Sessions we’ll be hosting via Zoom next week, on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 12 noon and Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. This is the perfect opportunity to meet with ASHS leaders and to see a presentation that will cover all aspects of the school — what it will be like to live and learn there and gain valuable career experience and guidance. And if you still have questions, this is your chance to ask the folks who have all the answers.

So wherever you are in Alabama, and no matter your location — whether at home, school, sports practice, music lesson, or a workplace — please join us. Register at this link, and we’ll “see” you next week!

Getting to know you…

If you’ve applied or intend to soon, we are interviewing! (An interview is one of the requirements before we can admit you — and we promise it will be painless.)

For your convenience, we’ve even added slots over the winter break, with times available Dec. 8, 9, 15 and 22. Contact Admissions Director Susanna Speegle at sspeegle@alhealthcarehs.org or 334-216-5016 and we’ll work with you to book an appointment!

Focus on Career Pathways

Exploring Biomedical Sciences/

Pre-Med Options

This week, we are proud to share our newly approved cornerstone academic pathway with two options, each leading ASHS students toward meaningful futures in healthcare.

No matter which direction on the Biomedical/Pre-Med pathway that a student chooses, both are designed to feel inspiring and accessible. Each blends strong academics with hands-on clinical learning and opportunities to engage with our healthcare partners. Students won’t just study healthcare — they will experience it, practice it, and see how their growing skills can impact their communities. Whether their next step is a selective university, a scholarship opportunity, or an entry point into an in-demand healthcare field, these pathways are built to help them move forward with confidence and a clear sense of purpose.

Our Accelerated Healthcare Pathway is designed for high-achieving students pursuing competitive programs in medicine, nursing, biomedical sciences, physician assistant studies, allied health, and research fields. The sequence blends AP and Dual Enrollment coursework, PLTW biomedical studies, and a senior-year medical assisting internship at Whitfield Regional Hospital. Students will graduate with five or more nationally recognized credentials—including CPR/First Aid, OSHA-10, EKG, Clinical Medical Assistant, and Billing & Coding—plus advanced academic standing and real clinical experience.*



Our Traditional Biomedical Sciences / Pre-Med Pathway offers the same hands-on, healthcare-focused foundation without the intensified AP/DE load, culminating in medical assisting coursework and internship opportunities.

*Don’t panic! A Glossary of ASHS Acronyms is included below.

Laura Bailey

Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Dr. Martin Weighs in on the New Pathway Choices

They’re the subject of his weekly blogpost in ASHS Pulse.

Click on the image on the right to read.

Talk the Talk

Your Handy ASHS

Glossary of Acronyms

Learning these is not mandatory (yet). We thought you might like a head start on “ASHS-speak.” It is not homework. And there will be no quiz.

ADN — Associate Degree in Nursing

A postsecondary nursing credential that prepares students to become registered nurses. Mentioned as one of the healthcare credentials students may earn through dual-enrollment partnerships.

AP — Advanced Placement

College-level courses and exams offered in high school. The Accelerated Pathway integrates AP coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, calculus, statistics, English, and history.

BSN — Bachelor of Science in Nursing

A four-year undergraduate degree for students pursuing professional nursing. Listed as one of the competitive university programs the Accelerated Pathway prepares students for.

DE — Dual Enrollment

College courses taken by high school students for transcripted college credit. Appears throughout the pathway description (e.g., English Composition, U.S. History, Medical Terminology).

HOSA — Future Health Professionals

A national student organization for future healthcare providers. Appears in the experiential learning and student organization sections of the ASHS curriculum.

LPN — Licensed Practical Nurse

An entry-level nursing credential referenced as an example of the healthcare certifications students may earn.

PLTW — Project Lead The Way

A nationally recognized provider of STEM and biomedical science courses. ASHS students complete PLTW courses including:

• Principles of Biomedical Science

• Human Body Systems

• Medical Interventions

UWA — University of West Alabama

ASHS’s higher-education partner for dual enrollment and the host of the ASHS mini-campus for the inaugural years.

Next Week:

Why new federal rules make ASHS more valuable than ever

New student-loan rules from the U.S. Department of Education strip graduate nursing programs and related programs such as nurse practitioner, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology, of their previous “professional degree” status, effective July 2026. The reclassification is part of the changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which also ends the Grad PLUS loan program for graduate students.

The Department of Education maintains that the narrower definition of “professional degree” is not a statement on the importance of these in-demand healthcare fields but a technical classification tied to student-loan reorganization.

In our next newsletter, ASHS leaders will examine why the school’s time-compression approach toward preparing for healthcare careers is now even more important to future workforce needs.

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This newsletter was created by McElvy Communications.