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The
Madison Metropolitan School District’s Health
Science Occupations Education program began with an
observation by two Occupational Family and Consumer
Sciences (FCS) teachers, Priscilla Bondhus and Sue Simon.
Through their personal experiences they recognized a
shortage of nurses and certified nursing assistants
(CNAs), particularly in long-term care facilities. They
knew that many of their high school students were interested
in working in healthcare and they believed their students
were capable of performing the duties of a CNA. They
also knew that FCS teachers had provided family-oriented
leadership and education in the area of health care
needs in the past, and that many FCS teachers were certified
in both vocational education and health education.
They investigated the requirements for certification
as an entry-level CNA, and found that a student could
be trained at a technical college or a local nursing
home at age 16, and that many states have high school
CNA programs. They discovered that many of the CNA training
opportunities around Madison, Wisconsin were filled
with nursing students who had the CNA background, but
didn’t intend to remain in CNA work. They met
with personnel from the Department of Health and Family
Services (DHFS) who oversee CNA training, Madison Area
Technical College’s (MATC) nursing instructors,
and a Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI)
FCS consultant. They found that certification and licensure
for teaching Health Science Occupations Education varies
from state to state and is offered through a variety
of different departments, including FCS. Wisconsin requires
instructors to have a vocational license to teach any
occupational course and a Health Occupations vocational
license (911) for advanced level Health Occupations
courses such as CNA, in addition to DHFS approval.
Unfortunately, there were no degree programs for Health
Occupations in the state of Wisconsin in the 1990s.
The program essentially required certification in both
a health occupations field (such as nursing or sports
medicine) and vocational education, so very few teachers
had obtained the appropriate license. In an effort to
fill this gap, DPI and DHFS approved occupational certified
FCS teachers to “team-teach” the CNA course
with a qualified nurse instructor as long as the program
was approved by DHFS. The licensure requirements are
currently being revised to allow add-on certification
for FCS, science, and health teachers who complete a
new degree program offered through UW-Stout.
In 1993, after meeting with Health Occupations teachers
and conducting a DACUM study of the skills needed to
be successful as a CNA, the “Introduction to Medical
Occupations” and “Family and Community Health”
courses were proposed in the district. The original
curriculum, designed through consultation with science
teachers integrated science concepts and utilized a
variety of industry resources including guest speakers
and site visits. The “Introduction to Medical
Occupations” course was taught at both Madison
East and Memorial high schools in 1993-94. The “Family
and Community Health” course, incorporating CNA
certification, began at Madison East in 1995. The program
started small. Since 1995, approximately 150 CNA students
have graduated from Madison East High School. To address
the needs of those students who are interested in a
health occupations career with less direct patient contact,
a new “Health Information Office Assistant”
course was proposed and will be introduced in 2005-06.
The Health Sciences Occupational Education program fits
with the curriculum at Madison East High School. Background
on body systems and human growth and development is
tied in to brain development research as well as child
development courses, and is promoted as another avenue
for students interested in working with children. For
those going on to take Anatomy and Physiology, the courses
offer an introduction to body systems that, in turn,
serves as a framework for future learning. Students
interested in the service industry develop content knowledge
and receive hands-on experience in an occupational area
encompassing six of the top ten fastest growing careers.
After completion of Introduction to Medical Occupations
and CNA courses, students are able to participate in
Home Economics Related Occupations (HERO) courses because
they work in entry-level jobs. Also, they can participate
in the Health Sciences Youth Apprenticeship program
where they experience an even wider variety of potential
career paths in the health care industry. Students and
parents have described Madison East’s Health Sciences
program as a “make or break experience”,
helping students to decide whether or not to pursue
a health-related career and potentially saving them
much time and money in their future college experiences.
For students entering a nursing program in Wisconsin,
their certification as a nursing assistant satisfies
a nursing program entry requirement. The medical terminology
portion is currently being aligned with Madison Area
Technical College’s (MATC) introductory level
terms course to provide advance standing credit.
While not the originator of the Medical Occupations
program at Madison East High School, Dorothy Winger
was there as a student teacher during its implementation.
In 1998, Priscilla Bondhus retired and recruited Dorothy
to take her position and continue the growth of the
program which is now offered in all Madison’s
public high schools. During a summer in-service program,
Dorothy worked with the health occupations teachers
to enter the curriculum into the Wisconsin Instructional
Design System (WIDS) format, prompting discussion and
evaluation of what, why, and how one teaches particular
subject matter. This resulted in revisions and updates,
including connections to MATC’s core ability statements.
In 2000 the courses became a project for Dorothy’s
Master’s thesis focusing on the integration of
academic and vocational education. She aligned the curriculum
with Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for
science, math, social studies and English in 2000, then
to Wisconsin’s FCS standards in 2001. As new texts
were considered and National Health Care Skill Standards
were developed, the curriculum was again revised and
aligned in 2002. In 2004 the curriculum was tied to
national FACS standards from Career, Community, and
Family Connections; Family and Community Services; Food
Science, Dietetics, and Nutrition; Human Development;
Interpersonal Relationships; and Nutrition and Wellness.
The “Introduction to Medical Occupations”
course is now offered at all four of Madison’s
public high schools and CNA is taught at both Madison
East and LaFollette High Schools. All four schools also
participate in the co-curricular Health Occupations
Students of America (HOSA) club as recommended by the
state, and students have competed successfully at both
the state and national levels since 1996. These teachers
have also reached out to surrounding school districts
in an effort to share programs and materials. The Wisconsin
Health Occupations Professional Educators (HOPE) organization
was reborn in 1999 and is now the main sounding board
for decisions about health occupations education courses
such as CNA. HOPE is working with DPI to revise the
license, and write curriculum for new Health Occupations
teachers. DPI now has a consultant working together
with Wisconsin’s Health Occupations teachers on
a full-time basis. With only 60% of Wisconsin’s
schools offering a Health Careers or Health Occupations
apprenticeship class, Family and Consumer Educators
are renewing their involvement in the health component
of FCS. This is an area well positioned for growth and
integration.
The Health Occupations program at East has made a significant
impact on its students, the community, and other Health
Occupations programs. Approximately half of the students
served by this program at East High School are minorities
and as many as one-third are from low-income backgrounds.
These students are able to obtain CNA employment at
age 16 which pays $9-$12 per hour – much higher
than any other job available to this age group. Many
of these jobs have tuition reimbursement programs that
will assist in the continuing education of their employees
toward an associates or baccalaureate degree in a health
care career. Students from surrounding schools are enrolled
in the CNA class at East High. Students have shared
that the hands-on approach to learning, and the potential
for a good job are what kept them in school during their
senior year when they might otherwise have dropped out
of school. Former students often return to share their
progress and success. Based on their reports, many are
still employed in or working toward a degree in the
health care field five years after high school.
At the same time, the health occupations program is
filling a need in the community for qualified health
care workers. The program at East is recognized in the
community for its high standards of quality. The DHFS
Bureau of Quality Assurance Consultant gave the CNA
program high recommendations, stating that it “gives
students an appropriate expectation for what the job
entails” and “produces a long-lasting nursing
assistant.” Winger was asked to serve on the Governor’s
Healthcare Worker Shortage Committee in 2002 as a representative
of high school CNA programs in Wisconsin where an increase
in early awareness and training in health care careers
is recommended. Also, she has been involved in sharing
curriculum and program development information as 2001-2003
president of HOPE. She is a regular speaker at conferences,
and has co-authored curriculum published by Wisconsin
DPI. She presented the hands-on teaching methods for
health occupations courses in two sessions at the National
Health Science Curriculum Conference in Chicago, Illinois
in October 2004, and often shares curriculum with new
teachers in Wisconsin with a growth in health careers
education over the past ten years. More students are
prepared to fill health care jobs for a growing aging
population.
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Target
Population
Health Occupations Education is designed for students
in grades 10-12 who have an interest in health care
careers. It is a prerequisite to the Certified Nursing
Assistants course which is offered to grades 11-12 and
10th grade with special recommendation. It is also a
good introductory course for the sophomore or junior
who intends to take Youth Apprenticeship or Physiology
and Anatomy as a junior or senior.
Description
Health Occupations Education is an interdisciplinary
course that allows you to explore careers related to
health care while giving you hands on application of
academic concepts. Students will acquire a knowledge
base of information, terminology, and skills used in
medical occupations while building their own skills
for personal and family care-giving. The history of
medicine is brought to life by a NOVA program. Current
ethical issues are discussed and debated. Hands-on experience
with vital signs and medical equipment are provided.
Building the "anatomy in clay" and participation
in a variety of classroom activities provides a kinesthetic
introduction to physiology and anatomy. This is also
a preparatory course for becoming a Certified Nursing
Assistant. Many describe this as a "make or break"
in their decision to go into health care - wouldn't
you like to know your options and what it's all about
before investing your college tuition?
Students are also invited to participate in Health Occupation
Students of America (HOSA) Club activities and committees.
Through this student organization you can gain leadership
experience and learn about medical skills and careers
that cannot be explored during a one-semester class.
Join us as we travel to Leadership Lab in the fall and
State Competition in the spring. Perhaps you'll even
qualify for National Competition in another state!
Health care professionals are in demand, so join us
for the opportunity to enter the health care field!
Textbooks
Louise Simmers. Diversified Health Occupations. Edition:5.
Publisher: Delmar. Year: 2001. ISBN: 0-7668-1820-9.
Pages: 862. Price: $55.00
Course
Outline, Competencies, Linked Exit Learning Outcomes,
and Performance Standards
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