• Participants will be introduced to five high-demand health careers and experience the current technology of each of those health careers.

• Participants will update their professional skills through didactic and laboratory experiences and collegial collaboration.
• Participants will impact instructional outcomes throughout west Tennessee through the development of cross-curricular lesson plans that relate academics to health careers.
• Lesson plans developed during the institute will be infused with new applications for the math and science concepts inherent in all health science instruction.
• As a result, more high school graduates will have the academic preparation needed to be confident of success in a health sciences career.

Specific Clinical Area Goals

Upon completion of the nuclear medicine technology module, the participant will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the:

• Radiation safety in a nuclear medicine clinic as it relates to the ALARA principle.
• Units of measure of radioactivity.
• Basic instruments used in detecting radioactivity in a clinical laboratory.
• Basic steps in performing a nuclear medicine procedure.
• Career options available in nuclear medicine technology.
• Physiological process in developing coronary artery disease (CAD).
• Anatomical blood supply to the heart.
• Radiopharmaceuticals utilized in detecting coronary artery disease (CAD).

Upon completion of the respiratory care module, the participant will:

• Perform a pulmonary function study.
• Identify participant characteristics that would account for differences in participant values.
• Identify their lung age and compare to their chronological age.
• Observe or participate in a respiratory therapy class or lab.

Through completion of the diagnostic medical sonography module, the participant will:

• Gain an understanding of diagnostic medical sonography.
• Participate in hands-on scanning.
• Identify basic sonographic images.
• Identify a teaching technique utilizing exploration, evaluation, explanation, extension or engagement.

Upon completion of the nursing module, the participant will:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the basic knowledge and skills needed in the administration of subcutaneous and intramuscular medication.
• Manually regulate an intravenous solution to infuse at the rate calculated from the physician’s order.

• Identify the systolic and diastolic blood pressure reading using the computer assisted program.

• Identify the steps for inserting a nasogastric tube and measures to identify proper placement.

Upon completion of the radiation therapy module, the participant will demonstrate an understanding of:

• Cancers that occur in the head and neck region.
• Cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes.
• The steps in the preparation of an immobilization mask for a head and neck set-up.
• The steps in the preparation of an immobilization device using an alpha cradle and vac-lock for a Hodgkin’s Disease set-up.
• The basic physics used in determining fractionation for doses used in cancer treatments.

Upon completion of the medical radiography module, the participant will demonstrate an understanding of:

• The basics of medical radiography as a career.
• The steps in making a radiographic exposure using a phantom in the energized laboratory.
• The steps in processing a radiograph in the darkroom.
• Radiograph evaluation and critique.