Health Science Cluster Specialist
Career preparation experiences connect knowledge and
skills obtained in the classroom to those needed outside the classroom. Career preparation is not a class; it is a
method that enhances a related class in which a student is enrolled. The career
preparation experience cannot replace the regular class instruction time and
students must be enrolled in the related class concurrently with the career preparation
experience.
Career preparation is an excellent way to link CTE
coursework and classroom learning with actual work site training. It gives
students the opportunity to gain academic, occupational, and employability
skills in a structured learning experience that reinforces standards that are
taught in the CTE classroom.
In the Health Science cluster, the Health Science and Practicum in Health
Science courses may be taught by instructional arrangements, such as
unpaid learning experiences or paid learning experiences. Each instructional arrangement is composed of
classroom instruction using the TEKS as the curriculum framework and a paid or
unpaid learning component.
Unpaid learning experiences provide students with the
opportunity to explore a variety of health careers, develop knowledge and
skills related to health care, and transition from student to professional.
Students rotate among various departments of local health care facilities in
the community to develop an awareness of the many career opportunities
available in health care. Unpaid work-based instructional opportunities must be
planned and supervised cooperatively by the local education agency and the
training sponsor. In the classroom or training site, students are expected to
master the essential knowledge and skills for Health Science or Practicum in
Health Science.
Paid learning experiences provide students with the
opportunity to gain career specific knowledge and skills through a paid instructional
arrangement. Students receive instruction by participating in occupationally
specific classroom instruction and work-based learning experiences.
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