Nebraska, like many states, is facing a shortage of healthcare workers. As a result of this shortage, the Area Health Education Center was formed and the cities of Kearney and Grand Island were selected to develop and implement a Health Care Sciences program for Nebraska. A team of professionals from government agencies, businesses, and secondary and postsecondary schools was formed to develop the Health Care Sciences Pathways for the schools. Using the National Health Care Standards, the team identified courses in the current curriculum that fulfilled the standards. The process of using standards as a guide and then evaluating current curriculum before filling gaps was effective in unifying the core and elective disciplines. It enabled the group to draw upon what already existed in each school rather than create a whole new program. Development of a student organization, Health Occupation Student Association (HOSA), was required and the FCS teachers were instrumental in initiating that process. The FCS teachers employed their expertise in areas such as critical thinking, organization, interrelationships, communication, and teamwork to facilitate these pilot programs in their schools. FCS content such as nutrition, science, and preparation for careers has proved to be valuable in the implementation of this program for 2003-04.