Pre Med / Pre Nursing: High Interest High School Classes

If your teen is considering a career in a health or medical field, I have some high-interest courses your teen will love. These are high school courses, not for college credit, but some, like those offered through the American Red Cross, result in certification or licensure! Since many health occupations look for volunteer or work experience, this is a great way to receive training as a first step toward a career.

High-Interest Courses

The purpose of high-interest courses is to give your homeschool student learning they devour! Yes, they need core courses, and yes, hard sciences are important, but this post is about offering very fun and very engaging courses that you can pepper into your homeschool program. Your teen will thank you!

Core Courses

Students who plan to pursue a rigorous undergraduate degree in science will need a rigorous high school science program. At the very minimum, your student should take the following high school courses (either for high school or college credit) if they are planning to earn a 4-year undergraduate degree that serves as a precursor to medical, dental, pharmacy, etc.

High School Biology with Lab (or General Biology 1 and 2 with Lab)
High School Chemistry with Lab (or General Chemistry 1 & 2 with Lab

Courses for students pursuing 2-year health degrees (nursing, respiratory, etc)

High School Nutrition (or BIO based Nurition)
High School Anatomy & Physiology (or Anatomy & Physiology 1 & 2 with Lab)

Medical Terminology

A “must” for every health occupation, from nursing to medicine to pharmacy. Des Moines University has this totally free and totally online course open to anyone (registration isn’t even required or necessary for high school credit). If you’d like a certificate, they do require registration, and it carries a cost of $99.

What do you learn? Here’s an example of how an understanding of medical terminology gives you an amazing ability to decipher anatomy, physiology, and diseases.

Myocarditis
(prefix)	(root)	(suffix)
myo = muscle	card = heart	itis = inflammation

Histology

Histology is the study of the microanatomy of cells, tissues, and organs as seen through a microscope. It examines the correlation between structure and function.

This free online histology course teaches the visual art of recognizing the structure of cells and tissues and understanding how this is determined by their function.

21 Chapters of amazing microanatomy – includes quizzes!

Medical Science Labs

Mel Science Medical Labs (very cool!!) Laboratory Diagnostics: Urinalysis, Dentistry: Orthodontics, Dentistry: Сaries, Pharmacy: Pasteur and the cell factory, ECG, Pharmacy)

How Antibodies Are Used in Blood Typing Kit

Venipuncture Course & Kit

How to Examine Patients Course & Kit

Anatomy & Physiology Lab Courses & Kits

Suggested Classes Resulting in Certification

American Red Cross

Online CPR Classes: Learn CPR online, on your schedule. Classes from the American Red Cross take only a few short hours but can help you save a life when every second counts. Designed for coaches, parents, adults, and teenagers, our online CPR classes make it easy to gain the skills needed to respond during cardiac or breathing emergencies. Taken entirely online, these courses do not include the opportunity for you to demonstrate skill proficiency to a certified instructor and therefore may not meet requirements for workplace safety certification. If you must complete a CPR class that allows you to do so, check out our blended Simulation Learning and classroom-based courses.

In-person CPR Classes: American Red Cross CPR classes take just a few short hours, but the skills you’ll learn during the process can make all the difference to someone in need. Whether you’re a medical professional who needs recertification or you simply want to learn how to respond in the event of an emergency, our in-person, online, and best-in-class blended Simulation Learning courses make it easy to get CPR certified.

Basic Life Support Certification: Earn your BLS certification from the American Red Cross. Whether you are a healthcare provider, are in school to become a nurse or physician, police officer, or firefighter, when you get BLS certified, you can show your employer that you have the training you need to improve patient outcomes.

Certified Nursing Assistant: Our CNA class curriculum is developed nationally and designed to meet or exceed state standards. As you progress through the program, just a few of the things you’ll learn include:

CPR/First Aid/AED (2-year certification upon successful completion)
Infection control
How to take vital signs
Range of motion exercises
Communication and teamwork
The art of caregiving
Workplace safety

Note that holding a CNA is often a prerequisite for admission to nursing programs. It also qualified the holder to work as a paid CNA in a health care setting.