BIOMEDICAL PROGRAM OF STUDY
BIOMEDICAL PROGRAM OF STUDY
The Biomedical Sciences Pathway offers students the opportunity to develop relevant skills while working together to find solutions for real world problems. Students build their knowledge in biomedical science, confidence in their capacity to tackle difficult problems, and the ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with their peers.
PRINCIPLES OF THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES (PBS)
Course ID# 356013
Open to grades: 9-12
Prerequisite: Successful completion of NGSS Biology
Placement recommendation: A grade of “B” or higher in prerequisite coursework. A college preparatory mathematics course taken within the same school year (i.e. CCIM1 or higher).
UC/CSU – Science (“d”)
*Requested contribution of $20.00 for materials
Students explore the concepts of human medicine and are introduced to research processes and to bioinformatics. Hands-on projects enable students to investigate human body systems and various health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, sickle-cell disease, hypercholesterolemia, and infectious diseases. Over the length of the course, students work together to determine the factors that led to the death of a fictional person. After pinpointing those factors, the students investigate lifestyle choices and medical treatments that might have prolonged the person’s life. The key biological concepts embedded in the curriculum include homeostasis, metabolism, inheritance of traits, feedback systems, and defense against disease. Where appropriate engineering principles are also incorporated into the curriculum. These include the design process, feedback loops, fluid dynamics, and the relationship of structure to function.
HUMAN BODY SYSTEMS (HBS)
Course ID# 356023
Open to grades: 10-12
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Principles of the Biomedical Sciences.
Placement recommendation: College prep math course taken within the same school year (i.e. CCIM1 or higher). A grade of “C” or higher in prerequisite coursework and a 70% average on the assessment portion of the PBS grade.
UC/CSU – Science (“d”)
*Requested contribution of $20.00 for materials
Students examine the processes, structures, and interactions of the human body systems to learn how they work together to maintain homeostasis (internal balance) and good health. Using real-world cases, students take the role of biomedical professionals and work together to solve medical mysteries. Hands-on projects include designing experiments, investigating the structures and functions. Students will be sculpting a human body using 3-D Manikins throughout the course.
MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS (MI)
Course ID# 356033
Open to grades: 11-12
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Human Body Systems.
Placement recommendation: College prep math course taken within the same school year (i.e. CCIM1 or higher). A grade C or higher in prerequisite coursework and a 70% average on the assessment portion of the HBS grade.
Articulation Agreement - Medical Interventions students who score an A or a B on an additional final exam may receive 3 units of American River Junior College credits, which are transferable to CSU.
UC/CSU – Science (“d”)
*Requested contribution of $20.00 for materials
Students investigate the variety of interventions involved in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease as they follow the lives of a fictitious family. The course is a “How-To” manual for maintaining overall health and homeostasis in the body as students explore how to prevent and fight infection, how to screen and evaluate the code in human DNA, how to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, and how to prevail when the organs of the body begin to fail. Through these scenarios, students are exposed to the wide range of interventions related to immunology, surgery, genetics, pharmacology, medical devices, and diagnostics. Each family case scenario introduces multiple types of interventions and reinforces concepts learned in the previous two courses, as well as presenting new content. Interventions may range from simple diagnostic tests to treatment of complex diseases and disorders. These interventions are showcased across the generations of the family and provide a look at the past, present and future of biomedical science. Lifestyle choices and preventive measures are emphasized throughout the course as well as the important roles scientific thinking and engineering design play in the development of interventions of the future.
BIOMEDICAL INNOVATION (BI)
Course ID# 356043
Open to grades: 12
Prerequisite: Successful completion of Medical Interventions.
Placement recommendation: College prep math course taken within the same school year (i.e. CCIM1 or higher). A grade of “C” or higher in prerequisite coursework and a 70% average on the assessment portion of the MI grade.
UC/CSU – Science (“d”)
*Requested contribution of $30.00 for materials
In this capstone course, students apply their knowledge and skills to answer questions or solve problems related to the biomedical sciences. Students design innovative solutions for the health challenges of the 21st century as they work through progressively challenging open-ended problems, addressing topics such as clinical medicine, physiology, biomedical engineering, and public health. They have the opportunity to work on an independent project and may work with a mentor or advisor from a university, hospital, physician’s office, or industry. Throughout the course, students are expected to present their work to an adult audience that may include representatives from the local business and healthcare community. Class Contribution: $30.00.