Healthcare & Clinical Science
Health science core is the first course for students in the health sciences career cluster. Currently, students in both the health care and clinical services or sports medicine pathways must take the health science core class before moving on to their specific pathway’s material. This core class provides the students with a solid foundation to move ahead in any health care field of his or her choice. The topics covered include safety, infection control, legal and ethical practices, career exploration, communication and teamwork, medical terminology, body organization, and basic anatomy and physiology of each major body system, along with various common diseases and disorders associated with each system.
Both the health care and clinical services program require a minimum of 100 hours of clinical-type experience to be obtained by the program’s completion. It is recommended to spread these hours out among the length of the program by beginning to give students multiple opportunities to complete some hours in the health science core class. This clinical-type experience can include: tours of health care facilities, guest speakers, participation in health fairs or health-related community service, laboratory/skills practice, demonstration in the classroom, and observation or job-shadowing experiences in various health care settings. Videos do not count toward this 100-hour requirement, unless they are used in conjunction with a hands-on training or class of some kind (i.e., CPR).
Health care and clinical services (HCCS) is one of the options for a second course for students in the health sciences career cluster. Health science core is the prerequisite for this class. The HCCS course includes classroom and hands-on experiences that will provide students with an overview of the healthcare field, as outlined according to the health science cluster in the National Career Clusters Framework and the National Consortium on Health Science Education. It will also begin to prepare students for careers in occupations predicted to have a high number of available jobs in the next 10 years.
The HCCS program requires a minimum of 100 hours of clinical-type experience to be obtained by the program’s completion. It is recommended to spread these hours out among the length of the program by beginning to give students multiple opportunities to complete some hours in the Health Science Core class. The remaining number of hours not obtained by the student in the Health Science Core class should be obtained by the completion of the HCCS class. This clinical-type experience can include: tours of health care facilities, guest speakers, participation in health fairs or health-related community service, laboratory/skills practice, demonstration in the classroom, and observation or job shadowing experiences in various health care settings. Videos do not count toward this 100-hour requirement, unless they are used in conjunction with a hands-on training or class of some kind (i.e., CPR).
Student Prerequisites
For students to experience success in the program, the following student prerequisites are suggested:
C or higher in English (the previous year), C or higher in high school-level math (last course taken or the instructor can specify the level of math instruction needed), Instructor approval and TABE reading score (eighth grade or higher)
or
TABE reading and math score (eighth grade or higher) Instructor approval
or
Instructor approval
It is strongly recommended that students complete this health science core course with a grade of C or higher to advance to the next course of choice.