Health Careers Education
Program that helps students gain insight into the health care industry, explore health-related areas, and prepare for career entry/postsecondary 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 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006. 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.
Health careers education programs operate at the high school and adult levels to achieve the goals and purposes as follows:
- Implementation of standards-based curriculum
- Use of standards-based assessment systems
- Continuing integration and sequencing of core academics and health careers context
- Incorporation of instruction in all aspects of the industry
- Providing workbased learning experiences
- Curriculum and program strategies reflecting workplace needs
- Instructional and support services responsive to the needs of students
- Expansion of program articulation efforts with postsecondary options
- Providing leadership and skill development through California Health Occupations Students of America (Cal-HOSA)
- Improvement of guidance services
- Use of technology
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.
Funding
2016–17 Request for Applications
Annoucement of the availability of grant funds for the California Health Science Capacity Building Project for program year 2017–18.
2015–16 Grant Awards
Provides a list of schools awarded continued funding for the Health Science Capacity Building Project for the 2016–17 project year.
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)
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.
Contact
The Health Careers Education Program is administered by:
Cindy Beck, Health Careers Education Programs Consultant
Career Technical Education Leadership and Instructional Support Office
Career and College Transition Division
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 4202
Sacramento, CA 95814