Seminole High School is home to a variety of programs: the traditional program, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and the Health Academy. The students in Health Academy are given the opportunity to focus on the medical career route, taking specialized classes in these courses to become better prepared to enter the medical field. 

“I really like Health Academy despite how hard it is,” said sophomore Brooke Walker. “It’s really worth it if you plan on following through with pre-med. I’ve always wanted to go through the medical field when I got older, so Health is perfect.”

In freshman year of Health Academy, students learn about the history of health and basic medical procedures and careers. Students also earn their CPR and first aid certification, which they can use upon venturing into their careers. In sophomore year, students learn about the human body system and anatomy.

When entering junior year, students start to focus on certain medical tracks they would follow. At this point, students are given scrubs which they wear to school every Monday. During this critical year of the program, students are required to pass the Infection Control Exam. This determines if a student can shadow doctors, a process called “clinicals,” for their senior year. Finally, in senior year,  students pick a path to a specific specialty, choosing between Vet, Pharmacy, Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), or Nursing.

“Health Academy has vastly improved my knowledge on all the basics in the health field. The teachers really know what they’re talking about by providing examples and sticking to guidelines. I’ve gotten to do activities I know I couldn’t do in traditional. Overall, I’ve had some great experiences in Health,” said senior Mark Bercini.

Students in the nursing pathway tend to patients in nursing homes in their senior year. Through the vet pathway, seniors are given the opportunity to help out at the Central Florida Zoo. EMR students get the privilege of riding in ambulances and learning how to read an electrocardiograms (EKG), and Pharmacy trainees take classes at SSC as dual enrollment.

“Volunteering was very eye opening. I volunteered at the Florida Hospital on the fracture care floor and helped all patients after they had surgery to fix broken bones. I was with people of all ages so it was very enlightening,” said junior Kaitlyn Lackey.

Health Academy is a remarkable program that educates aspiring professionals about medicine and technique. It’s a great place to start if one is interested in a career in the medical field.