A medical degree is in senior Jared Fischer’s future. Luckily, he can get a jump on that already by taking a Health Science Academy class his senior year.
“I like being able to know that I will have an advantage going to college and for career applications since this class will provide me with experience and an “inside-look” on what I’m going to be doing,” Fischer said.
HHS offers a co-op class through the Health Science Academy and CCC. This service allows students to start on a medical related field while still attending high school.
That makes it possible for Fischer to do something now that will benefit his future.
“The Health Science Academy will really help me because it allows me to get started towards a career, that I like, even though I’m still in high school,” Fischer said.
According to information collected from the guidance office, 20 students are currently enrolled in this cooperative class.
The Health Science Academy is for juniors and seniors, but the Academy tries to encourage mostly juniors to try and get an early jump towards a degree in health sciences.
The way that the Academy works is that a student completes certain classes and prerequisites that will later allow them to “be ahead” when it comes to college and have a firm grasp on a health sciences related field.
These classes and prerequisites include: Intro to Health Sciences, Community Health Needs, Medical Terminology, and Human Biology or Intro to Health Informatics that are completed through CCC. Along with these classes students are required to take, at least, 2 job shadows.
Getting to job shadow is a really interesting idea, because not only does it allow the student to complete a required course, but it also gets them into “reality” by putting them with professionals that are working in the field that the student is interested in.
“I really like being able to job shadow because I get to see how the job works and the different possible situations that could happen,” said Fischer.
This Health Science Academy class also has perks to it as well. First off students get college credit, which will save a lot of money later on. Students also get to go on business/industry tours, etiquette luncheons, and career fairs.
“Overall I’m thrilled that HHS has done this, allowing me to be better prepared for college.” Fischer said.
Being in the Health Science Academy class also allows students to be specially recognized and to receive certificates. This High School and CCC co-op class is an extremely helpful start for any student that is wanting to pursue a career in health sciences and can get them on toward an excellent career in a relatively short time.
