The Keokuk High School Health Occupations program has been awarded a mini-grant of $9,745 to purchase a Health Science Exploration Package that includes multiple learning aids, including simulation components.
“This grant will help fund equipment that will increase empathy and awareness in the ailments of patients, especially the elderly,” Quinn Palmer, KHS Health Occupations program director and KHS HOSA-Future Health Professionals student chapter advisor, said. “It will also increase student understanding of different health conditions, such as heart disease and concussions.”
To earn this honor, KHS students Alayna King and Kendra Wrieden prepared information and presented a need for the grant via zoom to the mini-grant committee, which is part of the Regional Planning Partnership 16, according to Jessica Koehler, KHS Career and Technical Education (CTE), Career & Connected Learning & Work-Based Learning Director at KHS. The package that Palmer purchased with the grant is an interactive set of seven hands-on learning aids that will provide KHS students with the opportunity to engage in realistic simulations to better understand the roles, challenges and skills required by professionals in healthcare fields, according to the company that sells the package, Realityworks.
The KHS Health Occupation program is a pathway for students interested in health-related careers that is part of the CTE program at KHS. It also highlights a wide variety of health-related careers, such as nursing, dental care, respiratory care and more, which are all part of this rapidly expanding field. Students learn basic first aid principles and are trained to be able to provide basic first aid, basic life support (CPR), operate an AED, provide accurate care and follow basic infection control practices, understand the legalities of providing care to a victim and learn the importance of maintaining confidentiality in healthcare. Additionally, students that take the Basic Life Support class at KHS would be certified through the American Heart Association for basic life support, AED and basic first aid. Palmer is also the advisor for the student organization HOSA-Future Health Professionals at KHS, which is part of the state chapter of the national organization that was created to support the development of “leaders in the global health community through education, collaboration, and experience,” according to iowahosa.org.
The Southeast Iowa Regional Career and Technical Educational Partnership (Regional Planning Partnership, RRP) 16, includes Keokuk Community School District and several additional districts in Southeast Iowa.
According to the Realityworks website, the seven hands-on resources include:
• RealCare Geriatric Simulator
• Concussion Education Kit
• Wearable Auscultation Trainer
• Taping and Wrapping Skills Sim Kit
• Nursing Career Scenario Cards
• EMT Career Scenario Cards
• Sports Medicine Career Scenario Cards
There is 29 hours of course content included:
• Exploring Geriatrics and Gerontology
• Visual Impairment
• Declining Mobility Due to Aging
• Impact of Aging on Bones and Joints
• Hearing Loss
• Cognitive Changes with Aging
• The Geriatric Experience
• Amazing Aging
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Concussion Signs and Symptoms
• TBI Treatment and Prevention
• TBI Scenarios
• Introduction to Auscultation
• Taping, Wrapping, and Protective Equipment
• Taping vs. Bracing
• Lower Extremity Taping
• Upper Extremity Taping
• Joint and Long Bone
Lesson plans, presentation slides, assessments and activities were all included.
