As a student in the Health Occupations program at Lewis and Clark, I am about to graduate from this program at the end of May. For students who are interested in the healthcare field after high school, I would highly suggest this program as it prepares you greatly as well as giving you experience. 

I go to Lewis and Clark for the first two periods of the day and get to SCHS during AIP, so I only have two classes at SCHS a day and four in total per semester.

Our first semester mainly consisted of lectures, notes, programs, and working back in our lab. Some things we covered this semester were anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, medical abbreviations, and learning procedures. Students will have a textbook and workbook, an anatomy and terminology binder, and their lecture binder.  Some procedures we learn are positioning a patient in bed, transferring a patient, vital signs, bedmaking, personal care for the patient, dressing and undressing a patient, bathing, and so on. Students in this program get certified in First Aid/CPR for adults, infants, and children as well as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Association) certified.

In the second semester, we have been going to rotations to a facility or hospital to work alongside healthcare professionals. In a typical year, students would go to three different rotation sites for three weeks each. Some rotation sites can be hospitals, outpatient centers, rehabilitation centers, long term care facilities, and community living. But, COVID made it so we will only be at one site for six weeks. At my rotations, I have gotten to do showers, bed baths, help residents eat, get dressed, and go to the bathroom. I have also gotten to shave a few residents’ faces, trim their nails, and paint some nails. It’s a very rewarding experience and it will definitely give students an idea if this field is for them. It’s also a good long term job opportunity and a chance to start networking with professionals that could be a reference later.

Overall, it’s a lot of work, but definitely worth it as I’ve learned so much and have gotten so much experience in just a year. Lewis and Clark also makes you a professional resume for the future.