|
|
| Health Science Training Survey |
The Office of Public Instruction and the UM-Missoula College of Technology offered a week-long Health science Foundations course in the summer of 2009 for current teachers of Science and Health Enhancement.
These organizations are considering offering the course again in the summer of 2010, possibly with some modifications. We would like to determine how much interest there is in this course. We also want to find out your opinions about the training topics and formats you would prefer.
Please take a moment to complete this brief survey about Health Science and Health Careers training!
One respondent will be selected at random to win a $10.00 gift card to Staples! |
| Click here to take the survey! |
| A Resource for Your Students: |
 |
| Check out this great
free online magazine!
|
|
Join Our List
|
 |
|
|
|
Connecting Students to Health Careers
|
| Greetings!
A thought for the New Year:
"Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed."
~ Cavett Robert
As educators, we hope to light a fire of enthusiasm for learning in our students. The awakening of a new interest, the flash of an insight -- these are the exciting and special moments that enliven the days and keep many teachers in the field.
But as any former scout or enthusiastic camper can tell you, that initial spark is only that - a spark. Without fuel and a bit of tending, that spark may never turn into the fire that warms and lasts.
In this issue of Health Science Education E-News, look for resources that can help you tend the fire of interest in your students...including two career exploration websites and an online magazine for high school students interested in health. And, look for fuel for your own fire...take our interest survey about trainings in health science, and read about some health science activities taking place around the state.
From Montana's AHECS, Happy New Year, and keep that fire going! |
| Cool Website #1 |
Career Voyages
Through a collaboration between the US Department of Labor and Department of Education, a new website has been developed that provides students, teachers, parents, and career-changing adults with an incredible amount of information about careers in some of the fastest-growing, high-demand fields today.
The field of health care, of course, has among the highest demand for trained professionals and the greatest expected growth over the next 10 - 20 years.
At CareerVoyages.gov you can explore state-by-state data on over 60 health care occupations, including:
* Total employment figures for each occupation
* Salary range
* Education required
* Expected job growth
You can also view descriptions of each job, including a video overview for most, and find links to educational institutions providing training in the particular occupation.
|
| Cool Website #2 |
MCIS - The Montana Career Information System
This website, updated annually by the Montana Department of Labor, is a gem for students thinking about their future -- especially those who are just starting to think about their choices. The site helps students explore:
What jobs would be a good fit for me?
How can I even think about school when I have NO idea what I want to be?
Where can I get training for a job I'm interested in?
How much school do I need?
How can I afford school?
What will I earn when I graduate?
Among the great interactive tools you will find here:
Career Sort: Select the attributes most important to you in a job... For example, how important is it to you to be able to...
spend time outside? advise other people? have flexible hours? communicate? travel? make a lot of money? be sure of finding a job?
Based on your selections, the system generates a list of professions you might want to consider. Chances are, there will be at least a few you had not considered before!
Reality Check: This interactive tool develops a personalized cash flow projection for each region of the state. Start by selecting a salary range you'd like to earn, and how much education you'd like to pursue, the system generates a list of professions that fit the bill. Or, select the profession that interests you and discover what your earning potential will be. Even more detailed information is available to help students think through the cost of living on your own after school, including cost comparisons of rent or mortgage, and other lifestyle choices like type of transportation and kinds of entertainment.
SKILLS inventory: Select the skills you find most satisfying to use, and then view a list of the 30 occupations that most closely match your personal skills inventory.
Interest Profiler: Respond with "Like/Don't Like/ Unsure" to a list of 180 activities ranging from "study the profiles of world leaders" to "act in a play" to "plant a garden" to determine your own rating in six areas: Artistic, Social, Investigative, Conventional, Enterprising and Realistic. your responses, again, generate a list of professions you might want to consider.
Career Cluster Inventory: Many teachers are familiar with the career clusters model... here is an interactive tool that uses this model to help students think about their future. Unlike most career assessment tools, this one is really well-designed for a high school student. By rating activities like "make dinner for my family"; "volunteer at a religious service" and "help an injured animal" students receive a ranking of the Career Clusters from "most likely match" to "least likely match."
In addition to these fun and interesting self-assessment tools are a variety of other resources about training programs available in and out-of state, information about self-employment and non-traditional occupations, as well as resources on paying for school. In order to use the site, you will need to login or create a user name and password. All of the features described above are available to the General User.
Click here to be taken to the site! |
| North Central Montana AHEC Opens! |
Attention North Central Montana...You Now Have an AHEC!
Cherie Taylor has recently been hired as the Director of the North Central Montana AHEC, based in Cut Bank. The region consists of 11 counties, including Blaine, Cascade, Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Judith Basin, Liberty, Meagher, Pondera, Teton, and Toole. It also includes three reservations, Blackfeet, Rocky Boy, and Fort Belknap. The North Central office completes the regional AHEC system in Montana, following offices that have been opened in Billings, Dillon, and Missoula.
If you are located in the North Central region, be expecting contact from Cherie as she will be meeting with school districts and healthcare facilities to discuss pipeline programming. Cherie can be reached at 406.459.3792 or cherie@mtha.org
|
| Health Career Spotlight: Pharmacy Technician |
A Career to Tell Students About...
Pharmacy technicians work under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist and perform many pharmacy-related functions. They refer any questions regarding prescriptions, drug information, or health matters to a pharmacist. Pharmacy techs work in a wide variety of practice settings, including community pharmacies, hospitals, the military, in-home health care settings, long term care facilities, mail service pharmacies, managed health care organizations, and educational programs.
Pharmacy technicians work in clean, organized, well-lighted, and well-ventilated areas. Most of their workday is spent on their feet. They may be required to lift heavy boxes or to use stepladders to retrieve supplies from high shelves. Technicians work the same hours as pharmacists. This may include evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Because some hospital and retail pharmacies are open 24 hours a day, technicians may work varying shifts. As their seniority increases, technicians often have increased control over the hours they work. There are many opportunities for part-time work in both retail and hospital settings.
Formal pharmacy-technician education programs require classroom and laboratory work in a variety of areas, including medical and pharmaceutical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations, pharmacy record keeping, pharmaceutical techniques, and pharmacy law and ethics. Technicians also are required to learn medication names, actions, uses, and doses. Many training programs include internships, in which students gain hands-on experience in actual pharmacies. Students receive a diploma, certificate, or an associate degree, depending on the program.
Training programs are often two to four semesters in length, and the job outlook for Pharmacy Technicians is excellent, with upwards of 25% job growth expected over the next eight years. the average national salary for this profession is $25,625.00.
In Montana, students can train to become Pharmacy Technicians at Flathead Valley Community College and at the University of MT-Missoula College of Technology.
(Text courtesy of www.explorehealthcareers.org )
 |
| AHEC - The Basics |
This E-News is being sent to you by the Montana Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) in order to open a dialogue among educators about Health Science Education for K-12 students of Montana. Through this newsletter we intend 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! | |
|
Sincerely,
Montana AHECs (Area Health Education Centers)
|
|
|
