Seminole High School’s Academy of Health Careers continues to provide a solid foundation for future health professionals

In the fall of 1994, visionary leaders in the Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) system launched the Academy of Health Careers at Seminole High School with its first group of ninth grade students.

Now in its 17^th year as a magnet high school, the Health Academy continues to adapt and develop its curriculum to best provide the academic preparation for promising students interested in health-related careers, said Mickey Reynolds, EdD, assistant principal of Seminole High School and director of the Health Academy.

“Enrollment in the Health Academy is open to all eighth graders residing in Seminole County,” said Reynolds, adding that interested students should apply through the Choices office at SCPS’s Educational Support Center. “From the pool of applicants, 250 ninth graders are selected at random. Although there are no academic requirements for admission into the Health Academy, there are high standards for remaining and for completing the program. All students must maintain above a 2.5 (grade point average), with no grade below a C accepted for core academic courses or required health science courses. Students are also held to high ethical standards as they prepare to enter the world of healthcare.”

Over the nearly two-decade span of the Health Academy’s existence, the curriculum has morphed and adapted to a changing job market and advances in technology, said Reynolds.

“While all freshmen use the more traditional CPR mannequins to earn their certifications, the senior students have the opportunity to practice their skills on SimMan, a simulated person complete with vital signs, a variety of diseases, ailments, and injuries, and even a voice,” she explained. “Students take advantage of learning in a lab environment that has all of the amenities of an emergency room. EMT students even have a decommissioned emergency vehicle in which to practice. Health Academy students receive a college-prep education and are given the opportunity to learn medical skills in simulated environments.”

For the 2012-13 school year, new coursework will be added to give students an even greater variety of opportunities, said Reynolds.

“Seniors will have the chance to choose a Health and Wellness track that leads to a certification as a personal trainer,” she said. “Juniors and seniors will have increased opportunity for dual enrollment classes with Seminole State College in the sciences, First Responder coursework, as well as Medical Terminology and Introduction to Healthcare.”

All juniors participate in job shadowing experiences and clinical hours to gain real-world experience in their area of focus.

“They might spend their clinical hours in a hospital or long-term care facility, or in a pharmacy or veterinary clinic, or with a dentist or riding along with a paramedic,” said Reynolds. “Starting next year, the students who choose the Health and Wellness program will be serving as athletic trainers for our very own athletes.”

Walt Griffin, executive director of secondary education for Oviedo High School, pointed out that the Seminole High School Health Academy was the district’s first magnet school.

“Dr. Reynolds, under the leadership of Principal Mike Gaudreau, has worked diligently to keep the program up to date and relevant for today’s job market,” said Griffin. 

Two years ago, the district unveiled an innovative Bioscience Technology Program at Oviedo High School under the guidance of Griffin and Principal Bobby Lundquist. The program captured the attention of teenagers exploring career options near home and the local bioscience community. Located in the heart of Central Florida’s bioscience corridor, Oviedo High School has one of only five programs of its kind in the South, and was created specifically to address potential opportunities in the developing Lake Nona Medical City, located less than 20 minutes away.

Led since 2003 by SCPS Superintendent Bill Vogel, EdD, former Florida Superintendent of the Year, the school system—with nearly 70,000 students—was ranked the 51^st largest school district in the United States in 2006. SCPS is Seminole County’s largest single employer; nearly half of the county’s public schoolteachers hold at least a master’s degree.

For more information about the Academy of Health Careers at Seminole High School, contact Health Academy Director Mickey Reynolds, EdD, via mickey_reynolds@scps.k12.fl.us or (407) 320-5063 or visit http://choices.scps.k12.fl.us/.

Tags:

Bookmark:

Digg

Facebook

Technorati

Newsvine

Google

Related: