New Program Gives Students Live Look Inside the Operating Room

Local students are getting the opportunity to learn firsthand how surgeries are performed thanks to an exciting new program at Covenant Health made possible because of donations from the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance and Texas Mutual Insurance.  

The Covenant Ready Live OR program allows students to watch a Covenant Health physician perform surgery in real-time. With this unprecedented access to the operating room and our caregivers, students can ask questions and learn from the physician as they watch the surgery happen live.  

“Our hope is to show the unlimited possibilities within health care, and how students can reach their dreams,” said Terri Morris, Covenant Ready and talent pipeline program manager. “These surgeries happen live and having the surgeon describe step-by-step their process while getting the chance to have questions answered, is an experience our students will never forget. Thank you to LEDA and Texas Mutual for your partnership and unwavering support of Covenant Ready.” 

Covenant Ready is a division of Covenant Health that focuses on teaching local middle, high school, and college students about different careers available in health care. Covenant Ready holds camps, creates programs like the live OR program, facilitates internships, and helps train students to earn certification so they can work in health care as patient care technicians (PCT), certified nursing assistants (CNA), certified medical assistants (CMAs), and pharmacy technicians as soon as they graduate. Currently, we have more than 100 former students working in these roles.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to show students what surgery is really like,” said Covenant Medical Group orthopedic trauma surgeon Jacob Murphree, M.D. “I hope that by exposing students to the many aspects of surgery we can influence and excite the next generation of healthcare workers.”

 Funding for the program, including the purchasing of the live video equipment, was generously donated by the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance and Texas Mutual Insurance.

“We’re proud to support organizations like the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce and the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA) through our grants focused on strengthening the state’s workforce and economy,” said Jackie Sekiguchi, Texas Mutual community affairs manager. “With this funding, Covenant Health System is engaging and inspiring younger generations with career opportunities in the medical field. They are doing meaningful work to help shape our future workforce. We’re honored to help make this possible.”

To become a school partner of Covenant Ready, contact Terri Morris at morristl1@covhs.org