Healthcare Careers Academy

The future health of our community depends on preparing tomorrow's workforce. The Healthcare Careers Academy is a unique collaboration between Tacoma Public Schools and local healthcare industry, higher education, and nonprofit organizations, with the goal of preparing high school students for a wide range of health care careers. Our health sciences career pathway courses, which include the Healthcare Careers Academy program, are offered at most of our high schools. Students engage in skill building and training that leads to direct entry into high-demand workforce opportunities, high-skill postsecondary training, and livable wage careers.

Intentional Career Exploration

As they begin, students research diverse opportunities in the health care field supplemented with guest speakers, field trips to worksites, campus tours, career fairs, and extended learning opportunities such as M.A.S.H. Camp. They engage in in exploratory coursework that is both rigorous and experiential, and get to practice in health care labs outfitted with state-of-the-art training equipment designed for hands-on activities, such as taking vitals, performing blood draws, sutures, and digital human dissections, and conducting a patient examination.

Industry Recognized Credentials

As students progress through the program, they master specialized content and skills in patient care, anatomy and physiology, and laboratory procedures. Over the course of the pathway, students have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications, including First Aid/CPR/AED, Basic Life Support, Prescription Drug Safety, HIPPA Compliance, OSHA-10 for Healthcare, and Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist. Juniors and seniors at Mount Tahoma High School can complete the required coursework and externship hours and sit for the exam for a Medical Assistant certification.

Student Leadership Opportunities

Students have the opportunity to participate in HOSA (Future Healthcare Professionals) or the Washington Career and Technical Sports Medicine Association, which are career and technical student organizations for students exploring health sciences careers. Through their participation, they gain leadership and technical skill competencies, attend conferences, participate in competitive events, and network with peers and healthcare industry partners to develop leadership skills and compete at the annual state competition.

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Partnerships

Our healthcare industry, higher education, and community partners provide students with equitable access to world-class learning environments focused on medical careers. Partners from the region’s health care, educational and philanthropic communities work in with the TPS Career and College Readiness Team to optimize resources and leverage assets to address community needs, including pathways and credentialing programs co-located within Tacoma’s Medical Mile.

If you are interested in supporting our health sciences programming, here are ways to partner with our teachers and students. Please complete the form below or email cte@tacoma.k12.wa.us and let us know how you’d like to partner with our programs.

Become a partner