Health Careers Education

Purpose

The Health Careers Education (HCE) program is based on the comprehensive needs assessment of Career Technical Education programs in the state plan submitted under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act referred to as Perkins V. The health careers program presents information to students early in their education program that will cause them to consider a career in health care; to integrate the health careers curriculum across the disciplines; and to design cumulative, articulated content across the levels of education.

Program Goal

The goal of the HCE program is to establish a rich, rigorous, integrated health careers path, kindergarten through employment, to serve students from every school in California. Establishing quality integrated programs that are accessible to all students will enable them to fulfill their individual career goals and will help meet the health care industry's human resource demands.

Benefits for Students

• Enables students to make career decisions consistent with their aptitudes, interests, abilities, and academic achievement.
• Provides a program of instruction that prepares students for postsecondary education and for employment.
• Enables more students to achieve higher levels of academic and career preparation.
• Provides added relevancy and meaning to the students' educational learning from kindergarten through employment.
• Eliminates the need for remediation for students in the health careers program who wish to enter postsecondary education or employment.

Resources

Cal-HOSA
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. Cal-HOSA provides a unique program of leadership development, motivation, and recognition exclusively for secondary, postsecondary, adult, and collegiate students enrolled in health occupations education programs. Membership in HOSA is restricted to health occupations students.

Health Science and Medical Technology Model Curriculum Standards (PDF; 1MB)
The standards reflect the skills and knowledge, both academic and technical, necessary to pursue a full range of opportunities within the health careers cluster from entry level to management, including technical and professional specialties.

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