Health & Medical Sciences

Emergency medical worker Within each cluster, there are multiple career pathways that represent a common set of skills and knowledge necessary to pursue a full range of career opportunities within that pathway. Career Clusters that relate to instruction in health and medical sciences include:

Collapse all Expand all

Health Science

Health Science prepares you to help keep people healthy and treat those who are not. Work directly with people by conducting research on diseases and other important health information. This field allows you to work in diverse environments such as hospitals, medical and dental offices or labs.

Career Pathways
Students may begin to follow a sequence of courses in a pathway that will allow them to specialize in a field of interest.

Biotechnology Research & Development Pathway

Discover new treatments and medical technologies to improve human health and advance the overall health science field.

Diagnostic Services Pathway

Use tests and evaluations to aid in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, injuries or other physical conditions.

Health Informatics Pathway

Manage health care agencies by overseeing all patient data, financial information and technological applications related to health care processes and procedures.

Support Services Pathway

Assist health care professionals with a range of administrative and maintenance duties to ensure that the health care environment is maintained.

Therapeutic Services Pathway

Care and treat patients to improve their health over time. Counsel patients and give them the tools necessary to live a healthier and problem-free lifestyle.

Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security

Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security prepares you for service in public safety and security. Responsibilities include prevention of and protection from harm such as crime or natural disasters. Career opportunities range from public safety to legal services to homeland security.

Career Pathways
Students may begin to follow a sequence of courses in a pathway that will allow them to specialize in a field of interest.

Emergency & Fire Management Services Pathway

Help protect the public by being the first to respond to emergencies including fires, traffic accidents, medical emergencies and other crises.

Law Enforcement Services Pathway

Help protect public safety by maintaining order and enforcing laws. Prevent crime, control traffic violations and conduct investigations.

Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics

Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics prepares you for careers using science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills. Jobs within this career cluster conduct in-depth research to provide solutions to a variety of technical problems within many different fields. A postsecondary degree and relevant work experience are necessary to succeed in this field.

Career Pathways
Students may begin to follow a sequence of courses in a pathway that will allow them to specialize in a field of interest.

Engineering & Technology Pathway

Apply engineering and technical concepts to develop solutions for problems that exist throughout a broad range of fields from building bridges to flying airplanes to working in the medical industry.

Science & Mathematics Pathway

Apply mathematics and science to real-world situations. Career possibilities range from science and math teachers to lab technicians and NASA astronauts.

Health and medical sciences courses prepare students for careers in medicine, nursing, dentistry, and other health occupations. Health and medical sciences coursework is appropriate for students who ultimately seek a professional degree; the coursework is also appropriate for students who seek to enter the workforce directly or pursue other post-secondary education. Successful completion of health and medical sciences coursework can lead to entry-level employment in health care and can be a stepping stone on the pathway to advanced training such as that completed by physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, physical therapists, and more.

Health and medical sciences courses:

introduce secondary students to nursing, medical, dental, and other health occupations.
prepare students with basic skills for employment in nursing homes, clinics, medical and dental offices, hospitals, homes, and certain public health settings.
facilitate entry into advanced health occupations programs that require post-high school education leading to state licensure, certification, registration, or national credentialing.
enable students to become more knowledgeable consumers of health services.

Consistent with their abilities, interests, and educational needs, students may complete a variety of health sciences courses to reach a variety of career preparation goals. Local school divisions determine the structure of health and medical sciences courses. Programs may be offered in blocks of various lengths of time and/or across multiple years.

Please note that certain health and medical sciences courses follow regulations governed by the Virginia Department of Health Professions and its 13 health regulatory boards including but not limited to the Virginia Board of Nursing and the Virginia Board of Pharmacy. Some courses also follow regulations governed by the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services housed within the Virginia Department of Health.

Course Revisions

The following courses were revised for implementation during the 2019-2020 school year. All curriculum frameworks are available through VERSO

from the CTE Resource Center:

• Emergency Medical Telecommunications (8337)
• Health and Medical Sciences Exploratory (8370)
• Home Health Aide (8364)
• Medical Terminology (8383)
• Medication Aide (8368)
• Nurse Aide I (8355)
• Nurse Aide II (8362)
• Nurse Aide II Condensed (8356)
• Patient Care Technician (8303)
• Pharmacy Technician I (8305)
• Pharmacy Technician II (8306)

In In 2014, competencies related to opioid abuse prevention were added to selected courses-This is a Word document..

Safety Best Practice Guide for CTE

The Safety Best Practice Guide for CTE-This is a Word document. is a collection of best practice resources used to assist school divisions in the development of a local safety school safety plan.

Instructional Resources

Career & Technical Student Organization (CTSO)

Virginia Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) - Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) promotes career opportunities in the health care industry to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people across all health fields. For more information, visit the CTSO web page.

Work-Based Learning Resources

High Quality Work-Based Learning

Career and Technical Education Work-Based Learning Guide is based on the redesigned High-Quality Work-Based Learning (WBL) methods of instruction effective July 1, 2021. This implementation guide focuses on the twelve types of high-quality work-based learning (WBL) methods of instruction used in Virginia; job shadowing, mentorship, service learning, externship, school-based enterprise, internship, entrepreneurship, clinical experience, cooperative education, youth registered apprenticeship, registered apprenticeship and supervised agricultural experience along with opportunities for students to earn one credit toward graduation in addition to any credit earned through the associated CTE course in cooperative education, internship, entrepreneurship, and youth registered apprenticeship for completing 280 hours of work experience and one half credit for 140 hours of work experience in mentorship. It includes Virginia regulations and guidelines for the administration of WBL and provides training materials for high-quality work-based learning coordinators. School divisions should use this guide to implement WBL offerings locally.

Federal and State Labor Laws for Youth Work-Based Learning – Know the Rules is a resource that compares federal and state labor laws for nonagricultural and agricultural occupations, parental exemption, and prohibited and hazardous occupations as they relate to youth work-based learning.

Additional Resources

Health and Medical Sciences Licensure Endorsement Requirements

Revised EMT Guidelines – The High School Based Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Educational Program Guidelines-This is a Word document. were developed jointly with the Office of Emergency Medical Services to unify state and national standards, establish consistent EMT program standards, to ensure high-quality programs are implemented in high schools and technical centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Also see Superintendent’s Memo 285-19-This is a Word document..

Outside Resources

Virginia CTE Health & Medical Sciences Listserv

If you are not on the Virginia CTE Health and Medical Sciences listserv, contact Anthony Williams to be added.

Top of Page