In this week's "Skilled to Work," Â鶹app heads to Huntsville High School, where students in the Medical Academy are gearing up for a career in health care.
Students interested in the medical field get involved with the Medical Academy their freshman year.
"In the beginning, we start very basic, we start with medical terminology," said Erica Hand, the health science instructor at Huntsville High School. "They learn about the ethics, they learn about the laws, they learn about everything that affects health insurance."
Then, students start working on patient interaction.
"When they come into the lab, they treat these mannequins just like they are patients. They have to talk to them as if they're a patient," said Hand.
One of Hand's students, Huntsville High senior AnnMarie Thomas, is no stranger to the health care field.
"I'm the youngest out of a big family, and my older sisters all work in health care," said Thomas.
Their work inspired Thomas to follow in their footsteps, but until clinical rotations, she didn't know exactly which path she'd take herself.
"We got to intern at many different places, especially preschools, and at the preschools, we've got to work with kids and children as young as the age of 5 and 4 years old," said Thomas. "That made me really realize that I wanted to work with kids in nursing."
She's not alone. Her classmates also explored multiple health care avenues.
Students in Huntsville High School's Medical Academy get to explore different health care fields and gain experience for possible medical careers, including as a neonatal nurse.
"When I originally came into this program, I want to be a pediatrician," said Anna Ayres. "Then, we went on an internship, and I got to see Dr. Howell work at the dentist office, and I was like, 'Wow, this is the coolest thing ever.'"
Besides narrowing down a career, students in the Academy can take an exam and obtain a national certification.
"They can apply at any hospital to be a patient care tech, and they can work in an office," said Hand.
Before students even toss up their graduation caps, they've already experienced many "real-world" scenarios, equipping them for life well beyond college.
"When I really got to apply my hands-on learning that I've been getting at Huntsville High School, I got to take peoples' weight, peoples' blood pressure, and it was such an eye-opening experience," said Thomas.
