Middle school health science classes are designed to introduce students to healthcare careers and encourage them to enroll in your high school program. It's an important first step toward closing the health worker gap in your community.
Because of this, you need a health science curriculum that is appropriate and engaging for your middle school students.
That’s why teachers like Mark Rodgers have adopted the HealthCenter21 digital curriculum for their middle school classes:
“My kids use HealthCenter21 everywhere. They like it because they can do things on their own and they can be in there as long and as often as they want. They have everything they need right at their fingertips.”
Mark Rodgers
Jupiter Middle School, FL
However, if you’re just getting started with HealthCenter21, you’re probably wondering where to even begin. With so many health science modules to choose from, how do you know which ones to use for middle school courses?
In this article, you’ll learn how districts with well-established middle school health science programs use HealthCenter21 according to an example course sequence:
- Exploration of Health Science Professions and Career Planning
- Orientation to Health Science Professions
- Medical Skills and Services
You’ll find recommended modules for each of these middle school health science courses in the sections below.
These recommendations are a starting point to help you plan and can be modified based on your program’s unique needs.
Note: If your program has a single middle school health science course, use the modules listed in both Course 1 and Course 2.
Course 1: Exploration of Health Science Professions and Career Planning
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For a middle school Exploration of Health Science Professions and Career Planning course, we recommend the following modules:
- Digital Responsibility
- Legal and Ethical Responsibilities
- Communications
- Medical Mathematics
- Infection Control
- Professionalism
- Career Development
- Customer Service
Digital Responsibility
In the Digital Responsibility module, students learn about digital distractions and the importance of staying on task.
Legal and Ethical Responsibilities
The Legal and Ethical Responsibilities module provides students with the knowledge to make sound decisions when faced with workplace situations involving The Patient's Bill of Rights, Scope of Practice, tort law, contract law, confidentiality, privileged communication, and ethics.
Students examine scenarios and consider the legal implications, and research a current bioethical issue.
Communications
The Communications module provides an overview of speaking and writing as part of a healthcare team. Students explore types of communication, barriers, diversity, and how to express sensitivity.
They review and evaluate examples of written communication, learn to document patient observations, and discuss the role of communication technology.
Medical Mathematics
The Medical Mathematics module provides a review of math skills frequently used by health care workers. Students review basic numerical concepts, including whole numbers, decimals, fractions, percentages, estimates, and measurements using the household, metric, and apothecary systems.
Students practice using ratios and proportions to convert between measuring systems, calculate medication dosages, read labels and prescriptions, and learn how temperature and time are used in healthcare. Students record an Intake and Output chart and a TPR graph.
Infection Control
The Infection Control module provides an overview of the importance of protecting oneself and others from disease-causing microorganisms. Students learn about microorganisms, asepsis, hand washing, basic equipment cleaning, autoclaving, personal protective equipment, sterile technique, and transmission-based precautions.
Students practice donning and removing protective garments and working in an isolation unit.
Professionalism
The Professionalism module provides an overview of professionalism, including appearances, personal characteristics, and traits belonging to successful employees.
Students practice evaluating the effectiveness of employees and dealing with workplace situations, including harassment, discrimination, and bullying.
Career Development
Career Development is a project-based module that provides an overview of the career planning process and the resources available to help students as they develop a career plan.
Customer Service
The Customer Service module is purposed to help students understand the importance of an employee's role in customer service and the importance of customer service in business.
Course 2: Orientation to Health Science Professions
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If your middle school health science program includes an Orientation to Health Science Professions course, these modules will be a great starting point:
- How to Ace This Class
- Health Career Exploration
- Health Care Careers
- Wellness and Nutrition
- Safety Precautions
- Client Status
How to Ace This Class
How to Ace This Class provides an overview on how the brain works, good study habits, and personal learning responsibilities.
Health Career Exploration
The Health Career Exploration module introduces students to the many possibilities of having a career in the health care field.
Health Care Careers
The Health Care Careers module explores health science professions, including the rewards, demands, education levels, and types of credentials required for them.
Students discuss the role of professional organizations and professional development and consider a career as a path or ladder. They research at least one health care career and develop a career plan.
Wellness and Nutrition
The Wellness and Nutrition module provides an overview of the importance of wellness and nutrition as students learn about choosing health care providers, medications, physical examinations, and creating a practical wellness plan.
Safety Precautions
The Safety Precautions module provides an overview of safety techniques and the steps for greeting and identifying patients in a health care facility.
Students use the Internet to research safety regulations from OSHA, the FDA, and the EPA and demonstrate how to report safety violations by filing an event report.
Client Status
The Client Status module provides an overview of the importance of body measurements and vital signs. Students learn about body measurements for adults and infants.
They also learn about methods and equipment for taking and recording temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. A learning game is provided to gain practice in reading analog devices.
Course 3: Medical Skills and Services
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If your health science program includes a medical skills course at the middle school level, we recommend you start with these modules:
- Communications
- Medical Mathematics
- Client Status
- CPR and Basic Life Support
- Bloodborne Pathogens
- Health Information Technology
If your program includes a medical assisting course at the high school level, we recommend including more advanced modules aligned with your certification offerings.
Communications
The Communications module provides an overview of speaking and writing as part of a healthcare team. Students explore types of communication, barriers, diversity, and how to express sensitivity.
They review and evaluate examples of written communication, learn to document patient observations, and discuss the role of communication technology.
Medical Mathematics
The Medical Mathematics module provides a review of math skills frequently used by health care workers. Students review basic numerical concepts, including whole numbers, decimals, fractions, percentages, estimates, and measurements using the household, metric, and apothecary systems.
Students practice using ratios and proportions to convert between measuring systems, calculate medication dosages, read labels and prescriptions, and learn how temperature and time are used in health care. Students record an Intake and Output chart and a TPR graph.
Client Status
The Client Status module provides an overview of the importance of body measurements and vital signs. Students learn about body measurements for adults and infants.
They also learn about methods and equipment for taking and recording temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. A learning game is provided to gain practice in reading analog devices.
CPR and Basic Life Support
In the CPR and Basic Life Support module, students learn all aspects of adult and pediatric BLS rescue, including concepts behind why certain procedures are used. This module gives students a strong foundation in CPR and BLS and helps prepare them for BLS certification.
Bloodborne Pathogens
The Bloodborne Pathogens module provides an exploration of bloodborne pathogens and the effect the risk of infection has on health care practice.
Health Information Technology
The Health Information Technology module provides an introduction to information technology and its effect on the healthcare industry. Students learn terminology, gain exposure to an EHR system, and understand the importance of following HIPAA guidelines.
Best Practices for Using HealthCenter21 in Middle School
When you use HealthCenter21 in middle school classes, we recommend a blended learning approach to balance computer-based work and hands-on activities.
However, teachers are often unsure how to implement blended learning, especially if they are new to HealthCenter21.
To help you easily use blended teaching strategies, each curriculum module follows our four-phase framework:
- Explore: Teacher-led activities to hook students’ interest
- Learn & Practice: Student-directed eLearning within the system to learn new concepts and skills
- Reflect: Teacher-led activities to review and discuss key ideas
- Reinforce: Student-directed projects to enhance understanding of concepts and skills
Using the various teaching strategies and resources from each phase helps you maximize student understanding, engagement, and information retention.
And while you may feel overwhelmed thinking about how to use the four-phase curriculum in your classes, you don’t have to do it alone!
Thousands of teachers have been in your shoes, and they have each found the best way to use the system with their unique students.
To help you get started, we’ve compiled seven ways teachers like you use HealthCenter21 in their classes:
- Introduce key concepts with teacher presentations
- Assign Learn & Practice lessons as classwork
- Rotate groups between digital and hands-on work
- Assign Learn & Practice lessons as homework
- Present the Learn & Practice lessons to the class
- Assign reflection questions as homework
- Assign current event reports as homework
Dive into the article to start using HealthCenter21 in your middle school health science classes:
