When launching the Healthcare Professionals class at the high school, district officials, school board members, and even the teachers involved were unsure how interested students would be in the new class.

The semester-long class for juniors and seniors is a partnership with Allina Health featuring more than 40 healthcare professionals coming into the class to “expand what students know about the healthcare industry as a whole,” said Ellie Gullicks, Biology teacher at Hastings High School and teacher of the Healthcare Professionals class which will debut this fall.

Upon registration, however, more than 120 students signed up, creating a long waitlist that is “not very commonly seen for a new course,” said Gullicks.

The Healthcare Professionals class will provide students a glimpse into the healthcare industry to gage student interest with hands-on learning such as reviewing lab results and building diet plans for patients.

“You don’t really know if you’re interested unless you do it,” said Gullicks.

The class is split 60/40 between hands-on learning of day-to-day tasks within the healthcare industry and hearing from industry professionals themselves.

According to Gullicks, the class has been structured so that topics are introduced and then expanded upon with guest speakers.

From pharmacists to respiratory therapists to radiology technicians, Allina professionals across the healthcare industry will speak with students about what it is exactly they do.

This broad range of healthcare professionals was purposeful. It was meant to “highlight jobs that are super important, but not well known” within the healthcare industry, said Katie Jones, Nursing Professional Development Practitioner at Allina.

“It’s not just doctors and nurses,” continued Jones.

Jones worked with Gullicks to develop the class, which will have students working with the district’s new Anatomage table throughout the semester.

The table was a recent donation to the district from the Doffing Foundation which houses scans of full cadavers which allows students to simulate dissections. These uploaded data within the table bypass many of the privacy issues that would otherwise stop students from being able to work with test results, X-ray scans, and simulated autopsies and dissections.

“I can’t even tell you how cool it is,” said Jones.

Other lessons will have students acting as part of the care team for patients.

One example is that of a 65-year-old patient coming in with chest pains. Students will have the opportunity to examine vitals for the fictional patient in order to move forward with a diagnosis and treatment.

The Healthcare Professionals class is built off the general biology and anatomy classes already offered at the high school but differs in that those classes “don’t get to talk about what happens when the systems don’t work,” said Gullicks.

While the class is designed to provide a wholistic view of jobs across the healthcare industry, it isn’t solely for those wanting to work in it.

The class also goes over basics of the healthcare industry from the outside, like explaining insurance terms like deductible and copay as well as going over how to find a primary care physician.

“There’s a lot to know,” said Gullicks.

The immediate popularity of the course was a good sign the class has become the “first stepping stone in the Pathways Program,” said Gullicks.

The Pathways Program is a relatively new program from the district which seeks to provide students with more opportunities to learn about and participate in real-world industries while still in high school.

According to a letter from High School Principal Scott Doran, the program is “designed to align our curriculum with career interests and post-secondary readiness. This program provides students with opportunities to explore their passions, build skills, and prepare for their future academic and career pursuits.”

For Gullicks, that goal is particularly relevant.

Gullicks entered college intending on working in healthcare, but pivoted later moved to teaching.

From that experience, the utility in providing exposure to different roles within the healthcare industry while avoiding “real-world pressure” that comes with technical or college courses, is obvious.

“I would have died to take this class in high school,” laughed Jones.

In fact, the Healthcare Professionals class was initially envisioned as a way for students to earn a nursing assistant certification, but was later broadened into an industry overview.

While no certification is currently available to students, that possibility is very much on the table for future classes in partnership with Allina.

The Pathways Program has been central to recent efforts to reverse the trend of declining enrollment and make ISD 200 into a destination district for the area.

ISD 200 School Board Chair Carrie Tate envisions a destination district as one where “students have a solid idea of what they want to do after graduation in their sophomore/junior year of school,” as well as the ability to work towards accreditation or earn college credits.

Healthcare Professionals showcases what that model may look like.