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Connecting Students to Health Careers |
| Greetings!
Ever feel like it's really hard to
"squeeze it all in?"
Let's face it-- teachers are asked to do A LOT, and there often doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to cover the material and get through the textbook, let alone include the "extras" -- field trips, guest speakers, special resources in the classroom, research projects, student-led discussions. It can feel overwhelming to try to "squeeze in" one more topic or special event.
We at Montana AHECs want to encourage you and help you! A focus on students' bright futures infuses everything that happens in the classroom with purpose and direction. AHEC can help you organize the special events that inspire students' enthusiasm about science, health, and a future career in the challenging, well-paid, and much-needed world of health care.
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| Announcing MedStart 2011! |
![[spacer]](http://sciencenetlinks.com/images/teal_spacer.gif)
 We are thrilled to announce that the Montana AHECs will offer three Med Start Summer Camps in the summer of 2011 for rising juniors and seniors interested in health careers.
Each camp is FREE and will include hands on healthcare activities, shadowing with health professionals, medical tours and symposia, information about college life, admissions, financial aid, and lots of fun social and recreational activities!
MedStart 2011 Dates and Locations:
Billings (MSU-B) : June 19 - 24
Missoula (UM) : July 10 - 15
Bozeman (MSU) : July 17 - 23
Applicants will be able to rank locations in order of preference.
Housing, food, tuition and other costs will be paid for seventy students statewide, and we especially encourage applicants who meet the following criteria:
* First-generation planning to attend college
* Financially disadvantaged background
* Minority/underrepresented
* From rural/frontier communities
Applicants will need to submit transcripts, answers to essay questions, and letters of reference. Application instructions and forms will be available January 15 at www.mtahec.org
Click here to view a video about MedStart!
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| Lesson Plans from UT's Teacher Enrichment Initiative | |
The University of Texas Health Science Center has created an incredible curriculum in applied health science. Over the next few months we will use this space to highlight one of the modules each month, and we strongly encourage you to check out the diverse resources available at the Teacher Enrichment Initiative's website (click here)
Modules, each consisting of at least four separate lessons and including many materials and reproducibles, are available in each of the following areas:
Blood Bone Anatomy Brain Anatomy Cardiovascular System
Critical Appraisal Diabetes Elementary Lessons
Forces & Motion in Human Body Health Care Health Careers
Hearing Idioms - Language & Aging Intergenerational Relationships
Levers in Human Body Media Evaluation Mobility Nutrition
Nutrition & Body Image Obesity Issues Oral Health
Population Demographics Pulmonary System
Research Organization Self Assessment/Family Relationships
Sleep Issues Spreadsheets & Statistics Stereotypes & Biases
Vision
Next month in this space: Nutrition and Obesity Issues
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| Hands on Health 2010 wrap-up | |
 What a year for Hands on Health, the interactive traveling exhibition about health and health careers! If the exhibition has not yet come to your area, talk to your colleagues, principal and PTA about turning your school gym into a world-class science museum and exposing students to the diversity and excitement of the world of health care.
From February to December, 2010, Hands on Health was experienced by almost 5000 Montanans as it traveled to...Thompson Falls Elementary; Butte - Kennedy Elementary; Kalispell - Edgerton Elementary; Anaconda - Anaconda Senior Center; Fort Belknap - Indian Health Services; Shelby High School; Sidney - MonDak Museum; Polson - Cherry Valley and Linderman Elementary; Lincoln Elementary School; Paradise School; Saint Ignatius - CSKT Community Center; and multiple locations in Missoula, including Fort Missoula, Western Montana Fairgrounds, Missoula Children's Theatre, and UM Oval during Homecoming.
The exhibit's travels were made possible by the generous support of the individual schools and their hard-working Parent-Teacher Associations, and also by the following organizations:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, Montana Rail Link
Allied Waste, Clark Fork Valley Hospital, Kalispell Regional Medical Center, Community Hospital of Anaconda, Indian Health Services, Saint Joseph Hospital, and Missoula Cultural Council.
Over the next year, thanks to funding from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, and PPL Montana Community Foundation, the exhibition will continue to criss-cross the state, with stops in...
Heart Butte (January 18 & 19)
Libby (Dates TBA)
Hot Springs (Dates TBA)
Hamilton (March 21 - 25)
Victor (March 28 - 31)
Missoula (Hawthorne School, April 25 - 29)
Lame Deer (May 2 &3)
Crow Agency (May 5 & 6)
Poplar (May 9 &10) * tentative
For more information, contact Grace Decker at the Western Montana AHEC 243-4746 or grace.decker@mso.umt.edu
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| Know a student with strong math and writing skills? | |
The Un iversity of Montana College of Technology Pharmacy Tech Program offers an online certification program in Pharmacy Technology, a high-demand, well-paid job for which students can train in just TWO semesters!
This is a great opportunity for a student who would like to enter the workforce sooner than later. Students can complete ALL classes online from their home community & can often complete clinical work close to their home.
Application information is available HERE -- Print out and share with your students!! Applications for the Fall 2011 program will be accepted from now through May-- make sure your students know about this opportunity!
Additional Pharmacy Technician programs available in Montana are located at FVCC Kalispell, MSU Great Falls COT, and MT Tech COT.
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Great Hospital Adventure
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In partnership with HOSA chapters state-wide, Montana AHECs are again sponsoring the Great Hospital Adventure Puppet shows. This puppet show is designed to introduce medical careers and healthy lifestyle behaviors to K-3rd grade students.
Interested in having the FREE puppet show come to your elementary school? Contact your regional AHEC office for more information.
 | | CMR High School HOSA Students presenting the Great Hospital Adventure at Valley View Elementary School in Great Falls |
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Where the Jobs Are...
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 With layoffs happening everywhere you look, students will want to be sure they are pursuing careers that will continue to grow as the current economy evolves. Students can look up their dream jobs on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for a complete description of the training required and the nature of the work, some pay information, and the job outlook for the next 10 years.
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REACH Program in Philipsburg
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The South Central Montana AHEC coordinated a REACH (Research and Explore Awesome Careers in Healthcare) Program at Granite County Medical Center in Philipsburg on December 8, 2010. 32 total students participated from both Drummond and Granite County High Schools.
Students rotated through 7 different stations throughout the day including Physical Therapy, Radiology, Laboratory, Clinic Nursing, Emergency Room, EMT, and Dental. Additionally, Life Flight was scheduled to fly over from Missoula but due to winter weather was unable to attend.
Providers from Granite County Medical Center volunteered their time to mentor and excite the students about healthcare careers. Students had the opportunity to try some hands-on activities such as dental x-rays, neuro-muscular stimulation, and intubating a manikin! LINCARE Oxygen and Respiratory Equipment Provider sponsored a lunch for all students and volunteers. What a great success!
  
For more information, contact Bergen Morehouse at bergen@mtha.org
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Upcoming REACH Program in Eastern Montana
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Holy Rosary Healthcare in Miles City will host a REACH program on March 2, 2011. All 9th and 10th graders in Custer, Prairie, Garfield and Powder River Counties are invited to apply.
Questions? Contact Cass Staton at Cassandra.sta@riverstonehealth.org
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| Career Spotlight: Cytotechnologist |
 Cytotechnologists are laboratory professionals who study cells and cellular anomalies. Using a microscope, they examine slides of human cells for any indication that a cell is abnormal and/or diseased (i.e. cancerous or precancerous lesions, infectious agents, or inflammatory processes).
Cytotechnologists often play a crucial role in helping patients to recover from illness, by identifying a disease while it is still at a treatable stage.
Cell specimens may be obtained from various body sites, such as the female reproductive tract, the lung, etc. Using special techniques, slides are first prepared from these specimens. Cytotechnologists then examine the slides microscopically, mark cellular changes that indicate disease, and submit a report to the pathologist for final evaluation.
Using the findings of cytotechnologists, the pathologist then is able to diagnose and treat disease -- in many cases, long before it could be detected otherwise. For instance, in recent years, fine needles are being used to aspirate lesions, even those that are deeply seated in the body. This has greatly enhanced the ability to find and diagnose tumors located in previously inaccessible sites.
Employment opportunities and salaries vary in this field, depending on geographic location, experience and ability, but the demand for experienced cytotechnologists is growing and will continue to grow over the next two decades. Typically cytotechnologists earn $54,870 to $66,766 per year.
As new screening and identification techniques for cancer are developed, cytotechnologists will continue to play an invaluable role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Text courtesy of www.explorehealthcareers.org
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| 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! |
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Sincerely,
Montana AHECs (Area Health Education Centers)
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