As many CTE courses do, students interested in the medical field have an opportunity to gain hands-on training through courses aligned to industry. At Puyallup High School, four classes teach students about the medical field. Anatomy and Physiology, Intro to Medical Careers, Medical Terminology, and Sports Medicine are all options for students.
Medical Terminology and Intro to Medical Careers teacher Alyssa Meyers describes what her classes offer.
“[Students] get Career-Technical ready education for any medical field. We study all medical terms related to nursing, related to specific parts of the body. They also get CTE credit, which is a high school graduation requirement, as well as a dual credit in medical terminology to take with them to Pierce College,” Meyers said.
In medical classes, routine is key to success. New medical students at the beginning of the school year can typically struggle with certain topics and lessons. However, in the typical day-to-day classroom, routine is found.
“Our regular period in this class looks like a starting off with review from any type of chapter. The second item that we do every day is either a lecture or a brief overview of what system we’re working with or what terminology we’re working with. Towards the end of the class, we have an activity or a workbook to start memorizing that specific medical terminology,” Meyers said.
By finding a specific routine, students can prepare themselves for class the next day and many find success in the classroom.
Junior Alyssa Wilmoth is enrolled in Medical Terminology and describes what she enjoys about the class.
“I want to be in the medical field in the future, and without knowing these important terms it would make the medical career much harder,” Wilmoth said.
Wilmoth says that the course is beneficial to anyone even remotely interested in pursuing a career in the medical field.
“I’d recommend it to students who want to do something in the medical field. Even if it’s just dentistry, it’s still very important to know the medical terminology,” Wilmoth said.
The Intro to Medical Careers class informs students by providing a look into a variety of different careers.
“A sampling of 15 different careers that have that are in the industry of the medical profession… pharmacology, dentistry, clinical lab practices, medical imaging. There are several that do little tasks within their module or within their specialty within that field,” Meyers said.
The program is an entrance into the medical field that allows students to explore potential options before pursuing a career after graduation.
“It is an eye-opening experience about where their passion is, what their passion is. It gives them kind of a direction towards where they want to go in college. Some of them know exactly they want to be in nursing. Some of them don’t want to be in nursing and they find out they want to be in dentistry or something different,” Meyers said.