What is Allied Health?

What is Career Technical Education?

How do you redesign science curricula?

Can my school join the RAHSI network?

I am an industry representative; how can I get involved?

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What is Allied Health? Allied Health refers to the hundreds of careers in healthcare not including nurses and doctors. Allied Health professionals include physical and occupational therapists, medical laboratory technicians (scientists for hospitals!), pharmacists, respiratory therapists, surgical technicians, medical assistants, and on and on. Each career path has a different education requirement after high school, ranging from a few months to several years! The important thing to remember is that almost anyone can have a career in healthcare, not just those who want to become doctors or nurses. Visit  HealthProNet for more information.

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What is Career Technical Education? Career Technical Education is commonly referred to by its acronym, CTE, in educational settings. Each state assigns CTE requirements, or curriculum standards, for all of its public middle and high schools to follow. In California, middle and high schools offer a variety of courses that combine academic learning with occupational skill development in specific industry areas. These industry clusters are:

All students are appropriate for CTE courses, including those that plan to attend college. In fact, CTE enhances the skills students need to be successful in higher education as well as work settings.

Examples of Career Technical Education courses include Business Writing, Web Design, Marketing, and all Regional Occupational Programs (ROP). For more information on CTE and specifically the Health Science and Medical Technology cluster, visit California Department of Education.

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How do you redesign science curricula? A primary goal of the Regional Allied Health and Science Initiative (RAHSI) is to prepare students for college sciences and health training programs. A large number of college students that want to be healthcare professionals are unable to successfully complete the prerequisite courses including Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology. RAHSI high school educators know it is imperative to expose students to highly contextualized sciences before they reach college.

Every RAHSI health career pathway (see For Students page) exposes its students to at least one year of human systems through Biology (or in rare cases, Life Sciences). The pathways also include a variety of other courses such as Physiology, Sports Medicine, ROP, and in some schools Chemistry and English through the lens of healthcare. The common course, nicknamed Medical Biology, is Biology in which every unit and lab assignment relate to health, human systems, and the health professions. This highly contextualized method of delivering Biology meets all California State Standards and remains an approved “a-g” Biology course as required by the UC and CSU universities. Students that complete a year of Medical Biology have already demonstrated higher California standardized testing scores, which may be attributed to the course’s high relevance and contextual application.

RAHSI high schools are in the process of adopting a textbook entitled Human Biology, 10th Edition, 2008, by Dr. Sylvia Mader (McGraw-Hill Companies). For more information, visit mcgraw-hill.com or contact San Diego Representative Melissa Moore at (858) 752-7382 or Email Melissa Moore.

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Can my school join the RAHSI network? RAHSI is a network of high schools and community colleges that are actively preparing students for college science courses and health training programs. Middle schools are also important partners as they are the “feeders” to neighborhood high schools. A RAHSI high school pathway, which is a related sequence of courses leading toward a future in healthcare, must incorporate the essential course referred to as Medical Biology into its sequence. See “redesigning science curricula.” For more information, contact the RAHSI Project Director Natalie Ray.

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I am an industry representative; how can I get involved? Industry: You are a critical piece of the student-preparation equation! Our educators have taken your feedback to heart that young people must have a strong foundation in science and math to be successful in health training programs and the workforce. We have tackled this piece of the puzzle and the momentum continues to grow. We also argue that strong classroom preparation must be applied in real-world settings for the curriculum to be meaningful and truly learned.

RAHSI students are exposed to at least one to two years of human systems prior to entering college, as well as medical terminology, patient rights, and the many other service-oriented competencies you require of your employees. These are not your typical Junior Volunteers, as they are very motivated and know much more about healthcare than the average high schooler. In a nutshell, RAHSI pathway students are seeking real-world applications beyond the classroom to practice their developing skills and solidify their commitment to a healthcare career path.

Hospitals and long-term care facilities throughout San Diego County are finding unique ways to expose students to the health professions while filling a critical customer service need for patients and families. What a wonderful opportunity you have to remain competitive with other providers and remain confident in the abilities of the students you adopt! Exposure activities can range from guest speakers, to tours and job shadows, to summer programs, to internships. You may also choose to be an active participant in the shaping of educational programs through advisory boards and instructor mentoring. The benefits are clear: You cannot afford not to support your future workforce and “grow your own.” A proactive investment in your neighborhood schools will encourage the students you support to seek employment within your organization once they graduate. Also, these potential hires will reflect the diversity of the communities you serve.

Together, we can support RAHSI students on their journey to becoming your future, quality workforce. To discuss the variety of support options you and/or your organization can provide, please contact the RAHSI Industry Liaison Janet Hoff.

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