• OVERVIEW

    The district health science programs are a four-year major area of interest. Each program focuses on high skill, high wage, and high demand careers. Participating students receive related industry certifications, and participate in clinical opportunities. Upon program completion, students can pursue employment opportunities, or a post-secondary education.

    ELIGIBILTY

    • Minimum of a "C" overall GPA
    • Disciplinary records must reflect no more than minor occurrences.
    • Upon acceptance, students must maintain at least an annual 3.0 GPA in the core academy course requirements (courses that make up the core of the non-academic offerings for the academy focus) or achieve at least an overall 2.0 GPA. Failure to maintain the appropriate GPA at the end of the school year will result in the student being withdrawn from the academy and re-scheduled into non-academy classes for the following school year (for students whose residential school is the location of the academy), or the student being withdrawn from Tate High School and re-assigned to the high school in the appropriate residential zone.

    HOW TO APPLY

    Application forms are available at your current school. Ask for the School Choice bubble sheet application. Any student may apply to attend the Game, Simulation and Animation Academy (regardless of whether or not they live within Tate's attendance zoning district). The deadline for applications varies each year. For more information, refer to the Escambia County School District's website or contact your school guidance department.

    COURSES

    Principles of Biomedical Science:
     
    Student work involves the study of human medicine, research processes and introduction to bioinformatics. Students investigate the human body system and various health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, sickle-cell disease, hypercholesterolemia, and infectious diseases. A theme throughout the course is to determine the factors that led to the death of a fictional person. After determining the factors responsible for the death, the students investigate lifestyle choices and medical treatments that might have prolonged the person’s life. Key biological concepts including: homeostasis, metabolism, inheritance of traits, feedback systems, the relationship of structure to function, and defense against disease are embedded in the curriculum. The course is designed to provide an overview of all the courses in the Biomedical Sciences™ program and to lay the scientific foundation necessary for student success in the subsequent courses.
     
    Human Body Systems (HBS):
     
    Students will engage in the study of the processes, structures, and interactions of the human body system. Important concepts in the course include: communication, transport of substances, locomotion, metabolic processes, defense, and protection. The central theme is how the body's systems work together to maintain homeostasis and good health. The systems will be studied as “parts of a whole,” working together to keep the amazing human machine functioning at an optimal level. Students will design experiments, investigate the structures and functions of body systems, and use data acquisition software to monitor body functions such as muscle movement, reflexes and voluntary actions, and respiratory operations. Students will work through interesting real world cases and often play the role of biomedical professionals to solve medical mysteries.
     
    Medical Intervention:
     
    Students investigate the variety of interventions involved in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease as they follow the lives of a fictitious family. The course is a “How-To” manual for maintaining overall health and homeostasis in the body as students explore how to prevent and fight infection, how to screen and evaluate the code in human DNA, how to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, and how to prevail when the organs of the body begin to fail. Through these scenarios, students are exposed to the wide range of interventions related to immunology, surgery, genetics, pharmacology, medical devices, and diagnostics. Each family case scenario introduces multiple types of interventions and reinforces concepts learned in the previous two courses, as well as presents new content. Interventions may range from simple diagnostic tests to treatment of complex diseases and disorders. These interventions are showcased across the generations of the family and provide a look at the past, present and future of biomedical science. Lifestyle choices and preventive measures are emphasized throughout the course, as well as the important roles scientific thinking and engineering design play in the development of interventions of the future.
     
    Biomedical Intervention:
     
    In this capstone course, students will design and conduct experiments related to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease or illness. They will apply their knowledge and skills to answer questions or to solve problems related to the biomedical sciences. They may work with a mentor or adviser from a university, hospital, physician’s office, or industry as they complete their work. Students will be expected to present the results of their work to an adult audience, which may include representatives from the local healthcare or business community or the school’s PLTW® partnership team.
     
    Health Occupations Education Directed Study:
     
    Student performance standards to be mastered are selected from the specific job preparation program in which each student is continuing and are outlined in an instructional plan developed by the teacher. Special Note: Students must meet specific criteria for continuance in a program; criteria are stated in the state course framework.
     
    Health Occupations Cooperative Education OJT:
     
    This course provides on-the-job experience as a part of a job preparatory program which will develop occupational competence required for employment in health occupations. It also serves to reinforce the student's goals to enter the health care field by providing the setting in the world of work. Students receive compensation for work done and receive a grade from their employer.
     

    INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS

    Available Industry Certifications

    • CPR
    • HIPAA
    • OSHA
    • Reporting Changes in Patient
    • Status
    • Diversity
    • No Harassment Policy
    • Abbreviations and Symbols
    • Certified Medical Administrative Assistant
    • Certified Patient Care Technician

    STUDENT ORGANIZATION

    HOSA

    Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) is a student organization whose mission is to promote career opportunities in health care and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people.

    Participation in HOSA assists students with the development of leadership and teamwork skills. Participation in HOSA includes attending leadership conferences, and competing with other students at the district, state and national levels.

    ACADEMY INSTRUCTOR

    Kelly Derbes - Lead Instructor
    (850) 937-5480
    Email: kderbes@ecsdfl.us