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Kettering Fairmont PLTW Program selected as an SME PRIME site
Ohio Joins PLTW in the Development of a New Biomedical Science Career Pathway
Ohio provides PLTW students with increased job opportunities
Ohio has joined six other states and PLTW to develop a biomedical science career pathway as part of a national initiative to promote students entering the field. Biomedical Sciences is one of the largest and fastest growing segments of American industry, employing more than 15 million people in a wide range of occupations.
Ohio is part of the big boom in health care, both in scope and in quality. In 2005, Ohio was ranked first in the nation in its number of top-ranked hospitals. In U.S. News & World Report’s 2005 “America’s Best Hospitals” list, 16 Ohio hospitals are ranked among the nation’s top 176 hospitals in a variety of specialties. Also according to U.S. News & World Report, 2 of America’s top 10 pediatric hospitals are in Ohio—Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. Ohio also hosts 5 of the top 50 heart centers, 4 top 50 cancer centers, 6 top 50 neurology centers, and 12 top 50 sites for respiratory care.
As a natural byproduct of its acclaimed clinical network, Ohio also is among the top states in hosting clinical trials for new drugs and medical devices. In fact, Ohio medical centers participate in a quarter of all cardiac-related and cancer-related clinical trials in the U.S. Because of this, BioOhio President Tony Dennis, who also serves on Ohio Project Lead the Way’s Executive Council, believes more bioscience and medical device companies may look to establish clinical research locations or affiliations in Ohio. (http://www.BioOhio.com/news/besthospitals05.asp)
To fill the nationwide need for qualified health care professionals, Project Lead the Way has unveiled a rigorous new program that will assist students in mastering the academic knowledge and necessary skills to succeed both at the post-secondary level and in any biomedical-related field.
Akron East High School, Ashland-West Holmes Career Center, Logan-Hocking High School, Loveland High School, Miller City High School and Ohio Hi-Point Career Center will be piloting the new career pathway in fall 2007 and are among 36 schools nationally to pilot the new program. The curriculum should then be ready for any interested schools to adopt in the fall of 2008. More information will be available here as PLTW national rolls out the program.
The PLTW biomedical curriculum consists of four core courses:
- Principles of the Biomedical Sciences
Offers an introduction to biomedical science through hands-on projects. Students study human medicine, research processes, and bioinformatics. They investigate human body systems and diseases by determining the factors that caused the death of a fictional person. Through the use of this device, they also learn about various diseases, lifestyle choices, and medical treatments. Provides an overview and allows for student success in subsequent courses.
- Human Body Systems
Students will study human physiology and its relationship to health. They will examine body systems at rest and under stress and observe interactions between various body systems. They will use Labview ™ software to design and build systems to monitor body functions.
- Medical Intervention
Students will investigate (through projects) medical interventions such as gene therapy, pharmacology, surgery, prosthetics, rehabilitation, and support care, that extend and improve quality of life. They will become familiar with cutting edge developments and will use 3D imaging software to design and build a model of a therapeutic protein.
- Science Research
This capstone course allows student teams to work with a mentor from the scientific community to identify a research topic, conduct research, write a scientific paper, and defend their team’s conclusions to an outside panel of reviewers. This course may be combined with the capstone course from the pre-engineering pathway, allowing students from both pathways to work together to engineer a product that could impact health care.
The four courses will be phased in over four years beginning with 2008. Grants may be available beginning July 1, 2007, but that will be announced when and if they become available.
Teachers interested in teaching the Biomedical Sciences pathway must have a bachelor’s degree in secondary school biology or chemistry or other appropriate Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in biology, chemistry, or medical science (e.g. physicians’s assistant, physical therapy, nursing, pharmacology or medical assisting). Additional information on specific teacher certifications/licenses can be obtained from the Ohio Department of Education.
The cost to implement the program is being calculated and will be available on www.pltw.org in the near future. Please check there for further information, and keep checking back on this site for information on Summer Training for Biomedical Sciences in the summer of 2008.