About

The GUHSD Health Pathway started in 2002 with a single dedicated teacher, Rhian Purdy, at West Hills High School. Since then the program has grown to include 9 high schools, 26 teachers, and thousands of students. The pathway is focused on healthcare career exposure and science achievement based on the rigorous science prerequisites required to pursue most healthcare training programs.

Medical and healthcare content is embedded into science standards to create courses that are more relevant and engaging to students interested in pursuing a healthcare career. The primary courses include Medical Biology, Medical Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, and a culminating internship, community service or service-learning project. Some school sites offer additional courses including Sports Medicine, Healthcare Essentials, Medical PE, and Medical English.

Health Pathway students gain healthcare career exposure through guest speakers, industry tours, job shadows, mentoring, internships, community service, and service-learning projects. Healthcare career exposure is an important part of the Health Pathway experience as it allows students a real world glimpse into the healthcare industry.