Health Science Education

The mission of Health Science Education is to prepare students for employment and/or continuing education opportunities in health care through technical instruction in the classroom, experiential education in the laboratory, work-based learning opportunities at clinical settings, and leadership skills through Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA).

The West Virginia Health Science Clusters are based on the national health care skills standards and national health science career cluster pathways. Through health science courses students can gain an important foundation of knowledge and skills necessary for continued education in health sciences.

The health care industry is robust and growing nationwide; however, it is actually experiencing a critical shortage of workers. These shortages are impacting the quality of care throughout the industry. An increased demand for qualified health professionals is expected to continue through the year 2012, resulting in 16 percent of all new wage and salary jobs.

The Health Science Education Clusters are

  • Dental Assisting
  • Health Occupations Science Technology
  • Health Professional
  • Medical Assisting
  • Health Informatics
  • Medical Laboratory Assisting
  • Medical Transcriptionist and Information Specialist
  • Pre-Pharmacy Technician
  • Biomedical Technology
  • Emergency Medical Preparation

Our goal is to provide awareness and exploration experiences that motivate students to pursue a profession in health care. Once students are motivated, it is our intent to prepare students for continued education and/or employment opportunities in health care.

Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) is the student organization for Health Science Education. HOSA is involved in leadership development, career training, and service projects. The primary focus of HOSA is to increase opportunities in health care careers and enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people. HOSA provides students with opportunities to attain the knowledge, skills, and leadership characteristics necessary to succeed in a health care profession. Nationally, there are over 140,000 members and West Virginia HOSA has over 1,200.