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| Research and Explore Awesome Careers in Healthcare |
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Grantite County students R.E.A.C.H. for an inspiring day!!! |
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Greetings!
"Why do we need to know this?"
"Will this be on the test?"
"What does this have to do with anything?"
As an educator, you want to help students make the connection between their school work and their real lives. You want students to understand the relevance of what they are learning, both here and now, and to their future choices.
The opportunities in the health sciences to make real-world connections abound. Health science brings together a diverse set of skills, knowledge, and characteristics that will enable students to be successful in whatever future career paths they choose.
The health sciences develop:
- Solid scientific knowledge
- Critical thinking skills
- Investigative skills
- Ability to work independently AND as part of a team
- Empathy
- Systems-based thinking
- Hands-on skills
- Self-confidence
Critical shortages of health care personnel across the country and here in Montana mean unprecedented opportunities for young people to pursue challenging, interesting, rewarding and well-paid career paths in the health professions.
Montana's Area Health Education Centers are your partners in helping young Montanans explore their career paths, and reach their career goals. |
| Students Explore Health Careers Through Interactive Hands-On Learning |
Granite County Medical Center in Philipsburg is Transformed into a Hands-on Learning Lab 
On April 22, 2009, 31 high school students from Drummond and Philipsburg had the chance to spend an entire day experiencing the life of various healthcare professionals, as part of a new program developed by the South Central Montana AHEC, called R.E.A.C.H. (Research and Explore Awesome Careers in Healthcare).
Throughout the day students rotated through eight stations in the hospital including the Laboratory, Emergency Room, Radiology, Physical Therapy, Medical Office, and Clinic/Nursing. Life Flight from Missoula also flew over for the event and the local ambulance crew led an EMT station.
At each station students participated in hands-on activities related to the work healthcare providers do daily in their jobs. In the Emergency Room Station, students learned about sterilization procedures, as well as how to place an IV and intubate a manikin. Students were taught how to take blood pressure, test for strep, and about the various roles of a nurse in the Clinic/Nursing Station. In the Radiology Station students were able to x-ray their own hands and learned how to interpret what they saw. All of the activities were designed to be interactive and engaging and the hospital staff members volunteered their time to lead each station.
R.E.A.C.H. participants applied to be admitted to the program and were given a free scrubs top. A free BBQ lunch sponsored by Lincare and Harrington PEPSI of Dillon was also provided to the students and volunteers.
The goal of R.E.A.C.H. is to expose students to the opportunities available in healthcare careers. Too often students think healthcare means only "doctors and nurses;" although this is a large component, it is far from the case! Many students aren't aware of the vast array of healthcare careers available to them, including lab technicians, radiology technicians, physical therapists, medical coders, or even surgery technicians. In addition, often students don't realize that many of these jobs require only a Certificate or Associate level degree and provide excellent wages and benefits. R.E.A.C.H. is designed to open student's mind to the possibility of working in healthcare and to the possibility of staying in rural Montana, where we see some of the worst workforce shortages.
The South Central MT AHEC plans to partner with other schools and healthcare facilities throughout the state to bring R.E.A.C.H. to other communities. R.E.A.C.H. is currently being planned for Ruby Valley Hospital in Sheridan (for Sheridan and Twin Bridges High School students) on May 12, 2009.
For more information about R.E.A.C.H. or to find out how you can bring this new program to YOUR school, contact Bergen Morehouse, SC MT AHEC Program Coordinator, (683-2790) or bergen@mtha.org |
| Puppet Show Engages Elementary Students about Healthcare Careers |
 "Great Hospital Adventure"
The Great Hospital Adventure -- an innovative, multi-media, hands-on, fun program featuring puppets crafted in the likeness of six healthcare professionals -- educates children ages 4 to 9 about healthy behaviors and careers in healthcare.
The children are introduced to puppets Ashley and Josh who tell them about a day they experienced a "Great Hospital Adventure" when Josh fell out of a tree and Ashley had to call 911.
An 11 minute DVD is shown to the class in which Josh and Ashley's adventure is played out and the class gets to meet the culturally diverse healthcare professionals who take care of Josh, from the paramedic, to the ER nurse, ER doctor, X-ray technician, physical therapist and family DO.
The presenters then reinforce the proper use of 911 and, as the children are asked to remember the healthcare professional puppets they met in the DVD, each child is allowed to hold one of the puppets and talk about the healthcare job that puppet represents.
The 30 minute presentation ends with a game in which the children identify healthy behaviors. Each child receives a coloring book about the adventure, written in both Spanish and English.
The rapid growth in our country's aging population, coupled with declining interest in traditional healthcare careers, is contributing to the healthcare workforce shortage in MT. Engaging children from a young age is one possible solution to solving the healthcare professional shortage in the long-run.
For more information about The Great Hospital Adventure, or how you can bring this activity to YOUR school, contact Susan Barton, Eastern Montana AHEC Director (247-3379). |
| Cool Health Science Websites You (and your students) Will Love... |
| It can be hard to find on-line educational resources that are scientifically accurate AND student-friendly.
Here are 3 that are worth a look:
www.Innerbody.com:This simple-to-use site focuses on Human Anatomy. Each system of the body is displayed in an interactive diagram, with multiple "Pick Points" that appear when moused over. Click on a Pick Point and a new window opens with more detailed information about that specific organ or location, often with more detailed diagrams or pictures. A list of parts of each system is displayed alongside the diagram; mouse over a name, and the location is highlighted in the diagram. Diagrams include the Skeletal, Muscular, Lymphatic, Endocrine, Nervous, Digestive, Cardiovascular, and male and female Reproductive systems. The beauty of this site is its ease of navigation and its detailed information.
www.Edheads.org: This organization's mission statement reads, "Edheads will create unique, educational Web experiences designed to make hard-to-teach concepts understandable using the power and interactivity of the Internet. We will set a new standard for excellence by delivering in-depth content in a fresh, exciting style allowing the user to learn intuitively in an online environment." The activities on this website live up to their mission! Want to perform a virtual knee replacement, hip surgery, or deep brain stimulation? This is your place. Other activities focus on Weather, Simple and Compound Machines, and Physics (through a crash scene investigation.) Each activity includes a Teachers' Guide for using the activities in the classroom, as well as additional resources on the topic.
www.or-live.com : This website offers the chance to view surgeries and procedures on-line via live video streaming and webcasts. Students can watch an Aortic Aneurysm Repair or a Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) Lobectomy or even watch a live webcast for Treatment of Acid Reflux! The opportunities are endless and this site offers a great look into the "real world" of our surgeons and other healthcare providers. |
| Continuing Education Opportunity of the Month |
Attention
Science and Health Enhancement Teachers!
In an effort to increase the number of qualified Health Science specialists in the state, particularly in smaller schools and rural areas, OPI has approved a new pathway to obtaining a Health Science license endorsement.
A Perkins Grant has been awarded and will be used by the University of Montana-Missoula's College of Technology to develop and pilot a course in the fundamentals of health sciences and the health professions.
The course, to be offered in summer 2009 to ten Montana science or health enhancement teachers, will include grounding in anatomy and physiology, medical math and language, and an overview of the health care field. The grant includes funds to pay all costs -- tuition, travel and lodging-- to ten participants in this pilot program.
Participants will also complete shadowing hours at health care facilities in or near their home communities in order to gain perspective on the real-world experience of working in the health professions.
Details of this exciting opportunity are still in development, and will be announced both on the OPI website and in this e-newsletter in June.
For further information, or to express interest in participating in this health science endorsement opportunity, please contact:
Renee Harris, Health Science Education Specialist, OPI
406-444-2059
or
Grace Decker, Western MT AHEC
406-243-4746
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| So WHY Should You Encourage Students to Pursue Careers in Healthcare? |
Take a look at some startling facts...
There is a crucial need for healthcare workers throughout the nation, and Montana is especially in trouble. It is estimated that in Montana alone we will need 7,600 new healthcare providers in the next 6 years. With a current healthcare workforce of 34,000 people, that is more than a 22% needed growth! One National study predicts we will need 3 million new healthcare workers by 2016.
Shortage of Doctors an Obstacle to Obama Goals
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This E-News is being sent to you by the Montana Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) in hope of opening a dialogue about Health Science Education for the K-12 students of Montana. Through this newsletter we hope to:
1) build a shared resource of activities, materials, and lesson plans to draw on in teaching the health sciences
2) highlight the cross-curriculum nature of the health sciences
3) build an interest in and awareness of health career paths for students in the state of Montana
Please contact us with your comments, ideas, questions or projects you'd like to see highlighted in future issues of this e-newsletter. And thank you for the work you do every day to inspire and support Montana kids! | |
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Sincerely,
Bergen Morehouse
South Central Montana Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
Representing all Montana AHECs |
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