As the world is more focused than ever on the importance of medical professionals, local high school students are gaining more opportunities to explore and experience the growing healthcare industry. Pima JTED, a technical education district comprising 14 local high schools, is expanding its Health Care Professions program with two new options: Comprehensive Health Care Technician and Pharmacy Technician. For Pima JTED Health Care Professions program manager Beth Francis, the expansion is a long time coming, and especially critical in the time of COVID. âIâd been thinking of this for maybe three to five years,â Francis said. âAnd then COVID hit and I was trying to be very creative with programs we could do virtually and then move into a hybrid learning model where the kids can gain their skills and then still be competent and have patient safety in mind.âÂ