Vikki Smith, who teaches an intro to health science class at Rancho, explains how beneficial the program is to everyone involved. “Our goal is to have them ready to be hired,” says Smith.
Smith says the program is difficult to get into and the students all had to go through a selective application process. About 1,500 students apply each year for only 220 spots. This just makes the students who are accepted even more dedicated. They also receive opportunities and experiences that other high school students might not.
As freshmen, the students start learning the basics of health science and then work their way up to more in-depth classes like Human Diseases during their junior year. They then pick which track they’d like to focus on their senior year. “Each one of them wants to go into something different,” says Smith.
That is the case for four male students in Smith’s Human Diseases class. As juniors, they all have some idea of what aspect of the profession they’d like to work in. Kevin Aliado plans to be a cardiologist, Robin Gilbreath plans to focus on acupuncture and physical therapy, Juan Carlos Lozano is deciding between anthropology or pediatrics and Jorge Carrill wants to study forensics and possibly nursing.
Each of the boys has a different reason to be interested in medicine as well.
“The human body just amazes me and how it works,” says Gilbreath. Aliado chose this profession because his mother is a nurse with heart disease and he wants to find a cure.
Though with different motives, all the boys share the same goal of benefiting society.
“I’m looking for a fun career where I can still help people,” says Lozano.
There are already great opportunities awaiting the students after graduation as well.
“Right now there’s a great demand for male nurses,” says Carrill.
“The medical field has careers that are in every branch of society,” Aliado adds.
The boys also know the hard work they will need to continue to put into this profession and the realities that lies ahead of them.
“The medical field requires a lot of passion,” says Carrill.
The Rancho health program not only nurtures that passion but prepares the students for what they will need to know in the field.
“It’s very much worth it,” says Aliado.