The Medical Science/Health Careers course is designed to provide students with an overview of the different careers associated with health sciences and health technology. It prepares students for entry-level employment and introduces the student to the various careers within the health field and the necessary training required. It covers general anatomy & physiology, public health, mental health, medical terminology, nutrition, vital signs, cellular physiology, medical math, bioethics, confidentiality, and job-seeking skills. In addition, this course offers physical, emotional, social, and cultural instruction that will provide the student with the skills necessary to give effective patient care in long-term care facilities, hospitals, home health, and other patient care facilities. The class focuses on academic, technical skills, and employability practices. Students will develop personal and professional skills in the classroom that will transfer to the workplace:

• Anatomy and Physiology/Human Biology: Dissection of various animal organs
• Medical Terminology
• Human Health & Disease: Culture, Society, and Ethics
• Nutrition & Wellness: Macronutrients and over nutrition
• Infection Control: Sterilization, Disinfection, Sanitation: Principles, Application, Technologies and Monitoring
• Public Health: Behavioral science, management, epidemiology, environmental health sciences
• Patient confidentiality/HIPPA
• Basic Pharmacology: Science of medication actions, sources, chemical properties, classification, uses, therapeutic effect, side-effects, adverse effects, and routes of administration. 
• Basic Patient Care: Wound care, Vital signs, Medical Imaging, postural alignment and body mechanics, Patients on safe bed mobility and transfers.
• Aging Systems and Geriatrics Study
• 21st Century Career Essential Skills
• College and Research Writing
• Mathematical Science, Conversion

Class Benefits

• 30 high school credits earned per year
• Develop skills leading to a highly paid, high demand job

Certifications Earned Within the Class

• Course completion certificate
• Medical Front Office certificate
• CPR, First Aid, and AED
• OSHA 10: General Industry for Healthcare, HIPAA, Bloodborne Pathogens
• College articulation with Mission College with a B grade and above.

Job Opportunities Upon Completion

• Surgeon
• Scientist
• Doctor
• Nurse Practitioner (NP)
• Psychologist
• Clinical Pharmacist
• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Health Educator
• Occupational/Physical Therapist
• Dietician
• Ultrasound Technician
• Physician Assistant

About the Instructor

The Medical Science & Health Careers program (MedSci) is taught by expert Dr. Madeleine Dasalla. Her background entails healthcare management positions in chronic conditions at Kaiser Permanente (asthma, diabetes, heart failure, chronic pain) and patient care at the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Unit. The majority of her doctoral coursework and research focused on Santa Clara County mental health and biological science and health with the United States military and NASA.

Why do you teach Career and Technical Education? 

With a solid experience in a healthcare organization and educational facility, nothing is more rewarding for an educator than to leverage a hard-won mastery of a subject by teaching it to future generations of healthcare workers so that patients will benefit. Mastery creates an opportunity to share mental models that are not part of the medical science curriculum but are essential to practice. Training future physicians, nurses, researchers, health educators, and other allied health workers on how to be successful at work and in their home life is as important as teaching them how to treat a critically ill patient. Mastery also creates efficiency, which allows more time for teaching the next generation. Because these future healthcare workers will be taking care of us as we get older, we should make sure they are trained well, and we should encourage more students to go into this profession.

Students in our nation’s classrooms today are more diverse than ever. They represent different races, ethnicities, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and they speak many different languages. Further, these students often exhibit a wide range of academic, physical, and social abilities or skills. I support diversity, equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health for diverse student populations. I strongly believe in personal and professional growth to sustain lifelong learning.