For Payton O'Brien, a 2026 graduate of the Health Science Academy at Jeffersontown High School, the path to a medical degree is already well underway. While many aspiring doctors have to wait until their university years to step foot inside a clinical environment, Payton has spent her senior year working alongside professionals in a real-world hospital. By integrating high-level college coursework with an intensive internship, she has built a massive head start on her journey to the exam room.
Payton is utilizing her academy experiences to pave a direct path toward her ultimate career goal in pediatric medicine.
"I want to be a pediatrician, so I will go to the University of Louisville and do my four years there, and then I will go to medical school," Payton says. "The Health Science Academy is great. It helps a lot with college...instead of having to wait to start at college, you get to start in high school."
Real Patients and Real Responsibilities
The cornerstone of Payton's senior year has been her role as a radiology intern at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital. Working through the Norton Healthcare High School Academy Program, she has spent her days fully immersed in the demands of patient care. Far from just shadowing, Payton has been trusted to handle the daily operations of major imaging departments.
Payton explains. "I have done MRI, CT scan, and front desk work. What is surprising to me is I do basically everything else the adults do…besides give IVs and do the actual scans. I think that is really neat."
On any given day, Payton clocks in and immediately jumps into the patient rotation, managing the workflow for critical imaging procedures. She brings patients back from the waiting room, verifies their clinical paperwork, and safely transports them after their scans are complete.
"The advantage has been really great, especially being at Norton Healthcare, being able to be in there and see real life, how it really goes," Payton notes. "Seeing surgery being performed and a CT scan because they need to see inside the body is really cool. I did not expect to see that when I started working there."
“The advantage has been really great, especially being at Norton Healthcare, being able to be in there and see real life, how it really goes.”
Building a Long-Term Professional Advantage
Jeffersontown’s academy structure was intentionally designed to prepare students for this level of clinical responsibility. Payton points out that the curriculum builds seamlessly from fundamental vocabulary to advanced, career-ready certifications.
"I think what would most surprise somebody about Jeffersontown High School is how well our academy is thought out," Payton says. "Emergency procedures and medical terminology are your first year, because that is the most basic knowledge that you need to know going forward. And then Patient Care Technician class is your senior year."
Earning that Patient Care Technician (PCT) credential before graduation allows Payton to bypass the stressful timeline that traditional premed students face.
"If you want to be Patient Care Technician certified in college, you have to find a program, apply to that—not guaranteed you will get in—and then do that for however long, and then take a test," Payton points out. "Just doing that in high school when you are already coming to school and learning it in regular classes is much easier."
Stepping Confidently Onto Campus
Payton’s rigorous schedule has also allowed her to get a full year of higher education out of the way early. By stacking her schedule with heavy AP coursework and dual credit college classes in biology, anatomy, and English, she is leaving Jeffersontown with nearly 30 college credits already completed.
Her time on campus has also been a family affair, as her mother has worked at Jeffersontown High School for roughly eight years. Navigating the halls alongside her family provided a grounded sense of comfort as she found her footing throughout high school, transitioning from a quiet freshman to an active sophomore on the varsity volleyball team.
"I did not see her every day because I do not have a class with her anymore, but I did my freshman and sophomore year," Payton smiles. "She does treat me like a student when I am here, which I like."
Armed with a full year of college credits, an active clinical certification, and hours of direct hospital experience, Payton is stepping onto the University of Louisville campus as a seasoned professional rather than a typical freshman. By mastering the fundamentals of patient care today, she is shaping a future where she will protect and heal the children of tomorrow.
"I am going to be a doctor," Payton declares.