This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Monday, March 14, 2005.
By CHRIS AMICO Valley Press Staff Writer
PALMDALE - The Health Careers Academy at Palmdale High School is part job training and part pre-med college preparation. For teachers and students, the program represents a step in the direction high schools need to go.
"I believe every student who wants to be a doctor or medical professional should be required to take one year of a class like this," said Michael Hanlon, a teacher in the program.
Students on track for careers in medicine need a better idea of what the job entails before they spend years, and thousands of dollars, on medical or nursing school, Hanlon added.
The program is not limited to Palmdale students. Bryan Sloane, a senior at Vasquez High School in Acton, enrolled in the program two years ago with the hope of someday becoming a doctor.
In two years, Sloane has learned to give injections, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid, how to run a lab, operate an electrocardiogram, take blood and test it for drugs or other abnormalities, and use a defibrillator. Most of all, he has learned professionalism.
Sloane spends most afternoons in the emergency room at Lancaster Community Hospital.
"I've seen the beginning of life, and I've seen the end of life," he said. "It's really changed my life to see a bigger picture."
Students in the program usually take classes throughout their high school careers. Health and medicine are tied into core academic classes, including English, history and science.
Hanlon railed against the entry requirements for the University of California system, which do not include technical or vocational courses. The UC system measures eligibility based on seven course requirements: English, math, lab science, history, visual/performing arts, foreign language and electives.
"We need to teach medicine in different ways," Hanlon said. "You get these kids all jacked and amped up, and they have to cool their heels for three to five years to get into nursing programs." An Associate Press article tacked near the classroom door reported that nursing students often had to wait years to get into training programs, despite the statewide nurse shortage.
"If these kids were in Texas, all the vocational training they receive would count at the University of Texas," Hanlon said. "It's sad that in California, our kids are succeeding in spite of the system, not because of it."
Hanlon added that he has personal reasons for training more doctors and nurses.
"I'm a baby boomer. I'm retiring in a few years. These kids are going to be taking care of me," he said. "There's not a kid in this program I wouldn't feel safe having them do CPR on me."
The academy also aims to promote local involvement. Students in the Health Careers Academy planned the recent Every 15 Minutes program to dissuade students from driving while drunk. Another group of academy seniors organized an Alzheimer's disease awareness walk on Saturday.
"We teach them to give back to the community that's helped them along the way," said Angela Hefter, another academy teacher. "These students have to be the example. They have to be leaders of kids their age."