Eleventh grade students spend a total of 100 hours rotating through the business, administrative, and clinical departments of a health care facility. Students create portfolio work samples to demonstrate the application of a variety of skills to different aspects of the health care industry. Portfolio contents might include a photo essay on laboratory safety or an interview with a hospital attorney. The portfolios should help students contemplate their experiences. Student projects help youth explore how different aspects of the industry interrelate.
Projects often simulate the decision-making processes of a health care provider.
In one example, a group of students played the role of a public health service organization by reading a case study of a lead-poisoned child, and then interpreting the results of lab tests and creating a medical management plan. In another instance, student teams explored health care delivery systems by planning a school-based clinic. They confronted a variety of decisions surrounding the clinic's location, design, focus, financing possibilities, public relations, and confidentiality needs. The Rindge School of Technical Arts in Cambridge, Massachusetts prepares students through a variety of experiences on the premise that the more students can offer potential employers, the more career options they will have. For students at Rindge, the community becomes a classroom.