Health Science
Health
care is the largest and fastest growing industry in the United
States. In this rapidly changing industry, technological advances
have made many new procedures and methods of diagnosis and
treatment possible. Clinical developments, such as infection
control, less invasive surgical techniques, advances in
reproductive technology, and gene therapy for cancer treatment,
continue to increase the longevity and improve the quality of life
of many Americans. In addition, advances in information technology
have improved patient care and worker efficiency. Devices, such as
handheld computers, are sued to record a patient's medical history.
Information on vital signs and orders for tests are transferred
electronically to a main database; this process eliminates the need
for paper and reduces record-keeping errors. In this cluster, you
will be prepared for careers promoting health and wellness and
diagnosing and treating injuries and diseases. Some careers involve
working directly with people, and others involve researching
diseases or collecting and formatting data and information.
Settings include hospitals, medical and dental offices,
laboratories, medical evacuation units, sports arenas, and cruise
ships.
Webster
County Career and Technology Center Course offerings in this
pathway include:
Health
Sciences (Core) is a pathway of courses for students in
the Health Sciences career cluster. The Health Sciences (Core)
pathway includes classroom and hands-on experiences that will
provide students with an overview of the health-care field, as
outlined according to the Health Science Cluster in the National
Career Clusters Framework and the National Consortium on Health
Science Education (NCHSE), as well as begin to prepare students for
careers in occupations predicted to have a high number of available
jobs in the next 10 years, including careers in nursing services
(registered nurse, nurse aide, practical nurse, home health aide),
therapeutic services (sports medicine, athletic trainer, dietitian,
respiratory therapy), diagnostic services (radiologist,
phlebotomist, radiologic tech, sonographer, CT technology, medical
lab technician), health informatics (health information technician,
medical coder), veterinary services, medical services
(optometrists, medical assistants), emergency services,
rehabilitative services (physical therapy, occupational therapy,
speech therapy) counselors, pharmacists, mental health services
(psychologists).
Healthcare
and Clinical Services is a pathway offered to those
students who have successfully completed the Health Sciences Core
curriculum. This course helps the student establish insight in the
healthcare field. Students will be exposed to the theory and
applied tasks related to careers within health care. This course
covers topics such as human growth and development, health
informatics, information technology, and therapeutic and
rehabilitative services. Other topics include medical and emergency
services, mental health, and pharmacological and nursing
services.
Upon
completion of Health Science Core and Healthcare &
Clinical Services, 2 units of Science (other than Biology
I) may be awarded upon the completion of the sequence of
courses to satisfy graduation requirements.