Outreach Programs 
High School Health Careers Program - (HSHCP) 2008

Program Dates: June 30, 2008 - August 1, 2008   
Deadline to Apply: March 15, 2008

The High School Health Careers Program (HSHCP) is a five-week summer, tuition-free, residential program that offers current sophomore and junior high school students unique opportunities to learn about the broad spectrum of healthcare and science professions. It is designed to improve the academic study and communication skills of the participants.

RECRUITMENT VISITS

Recruitment for the program consists of visits by the HSHCP Director to the schools and Open House Visits.

SCHOOL VISITS BY THE HSHCP DIRECTOR

The HSHCP Director visits high schools and programs throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts during the months of October through February and does a presentation about the High School Health Careers Program and passes out brochures to familiarize teachers, principals, guidance counselors and students with the career opportunities in healthcare.

OPEN HOUSE VISITS

The Office of Outreach Programs, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) in Worcester, sponsors Scheduled Open Houses to familiarize high school students, teachers, principals, guidance counselors, and parents with the career opportunities in healthcare. Each Open House includes a tour of certain departments of the UMMS Campus and a presentation in the amphitheater. Reservations to attend a High School Health Careers Program Open House must be made by a high school teacher, principal, guidance counselor, parent or guardian. 

  Please contact Kathleen Rancourt at 508.856.2707 to make 
  reservations or for more information.
  Attending an Open House is not required in order to apply for the program.

 THE HIGH SCHOOL HEALTH CAREERS PROGRAM

GOAL

To increase the pool of competitive applicants from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds by enhancing their ability graduate from high school prepare for and college.  

OBJECTIVES

ELIGIBILITY

The program is open to:

• Current high school sophomores/juniors designated under-represented in the health and science professions or sophomores/juniors ecomomically disadvantaged (according to federal/state guidelines) or educationally disadvantaged (first generation to attend a four-year college)
• Massachusetts resident and attend a Massachusetts high school
• U.S. citizen or permanent resident status

APPLICATION PROCESS

Online applications and supplemental materials may be submitted from November 15, 2007 to March 15, 2008. The deadline is March 15th and there are no extensions.

1. Submit Online Application. Applications must be completed online and submitted no later than March 15th to be accepted. The application cannot be saved mid-process so be sure to set enough time to complete it when you begin.

When filling out the section as to whether or not you are economically disadvantaged, use the 2008 Federal Poverty Guidelines below:

Persons in Family or Household	Family Income if in live in Alaska	Family Income if in live in Hawaii	Family Income if live in any other state or DC
1	$13,000	11,960	$10,400
2	17,500	16,100	14,000
3	22,000	20,240	17,600
4	26,500	24,380	21,200
5	31,000	28,520	24,800
6	35,500	32,660	28,400
7	40,000	36,800	32,000
8	44,500	40,940	35,600
For each additional person, add	4,410	4,500	3,600

2. Print the following forms (in the box below) and postmark no later than March 15th. All forms are in pdf format, if you don't already have Adobe Reader, download the free reader now, Adobe Reader Download

3. Also supply the following from the school:

APPLICATION ASSISTANCE

Students should request assistance in completing the application process by contacting their Guidance Counselors or directly from the Office of Outreach Programs at 508-856-2707 or (toll free) 877 395-3149, press 2.  If further computer assistance is needed, please consult http://www.umassmed.edu/help/web services/about PDF.aspx 

SELECTION COMMITTEE

Applications are reviewed in April by the HSHCP Selection Committee. Interviews will be conducted by the Program Coordinator in person.  Students are notified of their selection by email the last week of April. 

PROGRAM OUTLINE

CURRICULUM

Academic Enrichment includes morning classes in Mathematics, Language Arts/Communications Skills, Science/Biology, and Information Technology; Cultural and Contemporary Health Issues Seminars are also held. In the afternoons, participants job shadow/intern in assigned clinical and/or laboratory settings.  Intern supervisors evaluate each participant at the conclusion of the program.  Mandatory field trips reinforce the weekly academic themes.  Participants produce a video overview of their five-weeks experience.  During the "Body Work" block they participant in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and First Aid Training.    

To view the 2007 HSHCP Curriculum, click here.

ORIENTATION TOPICS

• General Safety: Fire, Laboratory, and Clinical
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Automated External Defribillator (AED), and Community First Aid Training.
• The Medical Library, Medline and Literature Searches
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Training

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT

Science/Biology 

• Participants perform dissections on fetal pigs, sharks, and other animals to learn anatomy and physiology.
• Participants will have a better understanding of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory, muscoloskeletal, and nervous systems.

Mathematics

• Participants engage in lessons relating to improving math skills, SAT Mathematics Prep, test-taking strategies.
• Practice tests are administered. Students also learn to graphically incorporate and evaluate data from field trips and other classes.

Information Technology

• Participants expand their skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access.
• Participants manipulate digital images, create digital animations, use graphs and chartes, search the web more effectively, and use online medical journals as research tools.
• Particpants properly cite electronic sources to avoid future accidental plagiarism.
• Participants practice oral presentation skills

Language Arts Skills

• Participants improve upon writing gramatically correct college admission essays, grammar, and punctuation skills, persuasive writing an science writing techniques, and script writing for video production.

CULTURAL & CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

• Stupid Flies and the Study of Learning and Memory
• Financing Your Health Professions Education
• Women and Children Center
• We're All In This Together (Diversity in the Workplace)
• Non-Tranditional Roles and Opportunities for Health Care Professionals
• Medical School Admissions
• Financing a Medical Career

INTERNSHIPS/JOB SHADOWING

• Surgery
• Center for Infectious Disease
• Pediatrics
• Clinical Engineering
• Orthopedics
• Hematology/Oncology
• Ob/Gyn
• Cell Biology
• Emergency Department
• Trauma & Critical Care
• Health & Nutrition

HOUSING & TRANSPORTATION

The University of Massachusetts Medical School does not have dormitories. Participants are housed in dormitories at a local college. Students are REQUIRED to reside at the residence hall for the duration of the program. They reside at the dorm from Sunday evening through Friday evening and go home on the weekends. The participants are supervised by Dorm parents (1DP:5 students). Three meals a day are provided to all participants.

Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) bus passes are provided to allow students to commute in the city.

CLOSING PROGRAM

Families and friends are invited to the last day Closing Program.  The program video developed and produced by the program participants will be shown.  Each participant is awarded a Certificate of Achievement.

STIPEND

Upon successful completion of the program, each participant receives a stipend.

   accepted?