Washington Union Health Institute

Established in 2001, the Health Institute is a four year patient care pathway program with an emphasis on science for students with an interest in health careers. The program allows students to explore many professional careers in the medical field and offers technical certification programs in high school. This program prepares students for success with a career and/or their post-secondary goal.

Welcome!

Welcome to the patient care pathway at Washington Union High School. This program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue a career in the healthcare industry. The patient care pathway includes a variety of courses that focus on the fundamentals of patient care, medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, medical law/ethics, pharmacology, office laboratory procedures, clinical diagnostic procedures, and work experience. Students can receive a certificate from Fresno City College in Medical Assisting.

Course Sequence:

Incoming Summer of 9th Grade:

(COUN 53) College and Life Management (3 units)

Grade 9:

(AHLTH-100) Introduction to Allied Health (2 units)

Grade 10:

(HIT-100) Medical Terminology (3 units)
(FN 40) Nutrition (3 units)
Elective: HOSA Leadership in Healthcare

Grade 11:

(MA 1) Medical Law and Ethics (2 units)
(MA 2) Pharmacology (3 units)
Elective: HOSA Leadership in Healthcare

Grade 12:

(MA 4) Office Laboratory Procedures (3 units)
(MA 5) Diagnostic Procedures (3 units)
(MA 6a) Clinical (3 units)
(MA 6b) Advanced Clinical (3 units)
Elective: HOSA Leadership in Healthcare

Summer After Senior Year:

(MA 19) Work Experience (3 units)

Certifications:

Upon completing the Patient Care Pathway, students will be eligible to take certification exams such as Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA). This certification can help students secure employment in the healthcare industry and provide them with valuable assets for their future careers.

Picture of WUHS students wearing lab coats

Why Become a Medical Assistant?

Average Salary $37,000.00 or $18.00/hour
About 104,000 openings for medical assistants are projected each year over the next decade www.BLS.gov

Clinical Medical Assistants have a variety of job responsibilities inclusive of medical and administrative tasks depending on State Law. Some common tasks of a CMAC include; taking a patient’s history, preparing an examination room, assisting physicians during examinations, preparing, and transporting specimens, preparing a patient for an EKG, filing and front desk responsibilities. Since a clinical medical assistant works with the public, appearance and respect for confidentiality is important. Certified Medical Assistants may advance to other positions through experience or additional training.

New State-of-the-Art Facility

WUHS is excited to announce the opening of our new state-of-the-art patient care pathway facility. This facility will provide our students with hands-on experience in various aspects of patient care, including sports medicine and medical assisting.

The facility will feature a new classroom, sports medicine lab, and medical assisting lab, which will allow our students to receive practical training and experience in patient care. The new classroom will provide a modern learning environment with cutting-edge technology, enabling students to engage in interactive learning experiences.

The sports medicine lab will provide students with hands-on training in the prevention and treatment of sports-related injuries. This will allow students interested in pursuing careers in sports medicine to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in this field.

The medical assisting lab will provide students with the opportunity to develop the practical skills necessary for a career as a medical assistant. This will include training in basic patient care, medical terminology, and medical office procedures.

One of the key features of our new patient care pathway facility is the Anatomage table, which will be a valuable resource for our students. This cutting-edge technology allows students to study anatomy in a 3D environment, providing a detailed understanding of the human body that cannot be achieved through traditional textbooks or models.

Overall, our new patient care pathway facility is an exciting addition to our school, and we look forward to providing our students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their future careers in healthcare.

Industry Partners

Industry Partners are an integral part of our program. Exposing our students to all the career opportunities they never knew about is an important part of our job. Thank you to those of you that have taken time out of your day to speak to our students.