Jennifer Johnson - Instructor
Email: [email protected]

This first course in the career field provides students an overview of the opportunities available in the healthcare industry. Students will learn fundamental skills in effective and safe patient care that can be applied across a person’s lifespan. They will also be introduced to exercise science and sports medicine, the field of biomedical research and the importance of managing health information. 

This course focuses on the applications of the rules for constructing and defining medical terms with an emphasis on building a working medical vocabulary. Topics include using the appropriate abbreviations and symbols for anatomical, physiological and pathological classifications and the associated medical specialties and procedures. Students will decipher medical terms by identifying and using word elements with an emphasis on derivation, meaning, and pronunciation. Further, students will interpret and translate medical records and documents. 

Students will apply psychomotor nursing skills needed to assist individuals in meeting basic human needs. Students will implement interventions following a nursing assistant plan of care. Students will collect patient's vital signs including temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure. Students will perform phlebotomy procedures with emphasis on infection prevention, universal precautions, proper patient identification, specimen acquisition, handling, and processing. Additionally, students will observe patients' physical, mental, and emotional conditions and document any change. 

Students will apply knowledge and clinical skills necessary to assess, plan, provide, and evaluate care to patients in varied healthcare settings. Students will apply first aid principles and techniques needed for response to choking, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and other life-threatening emergencies. Emphasis will be placed on regulatory compliance, patient safety, pathophysiology, and medical interventions. Additionally, this course introduces psychomotor skills needed to assist individuals in meeting basic human needs. 

The capstone course provides opportunities for students to apply knowledge, attitudes and skills that were learned in the Health Sciences program in a more comprehensive and authentic way. Capstones often include project/problem based learning opportunities that occur both in and away from school. Under supervision of the school and through community partnerships, students may combine classroom learning with work experience. This course can be delivered through a variety of delivery methods including cooperative education or apprenticeship.