Medical Magnet

This course is designed for students interested in a career in health care. Students research career path options and learn about a variety of careers in health care. Students receive instruction in the concepts of group dynamics, conflict resolution and negotiation, legal and ethical responsibility, safety, first aid, and standard precautions. Related mathematics and language arts standards are reinforced. Students may complete certifications in first aid and CPR. This course takes the place of the health requirement.
This course examines ethical dilemmas in health care and the decision making processes involved in clinical, professional, and organizational ethics. Students will explore the philosophical and faith-based foundations of medical ethics including Catholic moral tradition, socio-cultural influences, professional codes, and organizational and personal ethical norms. Case studies and topics are analyzed to develop competence in moral reflection and ethical decision making with consideration of personal, professional, and societal values. Professional integrity in health care is dependent on acceptance of ethical and legal responsibilities. Students are expected to understand their ethical and legal responsibilities, limitations, and the implications of their actions.

• Homework expectation: 25 to 35 minutes per day
• Semester
• 5 Credits
• UC Approval pending
• NCAA Approved

Prerequisite: Geometry Honors or Algebra II Honors is to be taken concurrently with this course and maintain a B or better in both semesters.

Ethics in Health Care is a course designed to study ethics as practiced in the health care setting. The case studies and course curriculum is based on Catholic doctrine. This course develops philosophical knowledge centered on ethical awareness, ethical knowledge, and skills. Students will be introduced to several traditional moral theories, and using health care settings examples. This course will progress through a variety of ethical challenges that health professionals face throughout their careers. Topics may include: euthanasia, modern fertility interventions, treatment of impaired newborns, mental illness, use of animals in research, professional ethical codes, scarce resources, genetic engineering, inter-cultural issues, economics (ability to pay) and many other dilemmas that occur when practicing in health care.

• Homework expectation: 25 to 35 minutes per day
• Semester
• 5 Credits
• UC Approval pending
• NCAA Approved

Prerequisite: All students must take and pass the Biology Honors Placement Test.  This includes International students and transfer students.

This course is designed for the highly motivated science student who wants to be challenged. The material covered in this class is more in-depth than a college prep high school biology course and is considered a precursor to AP Biology. This course is designed to expand the students' knowledge of living organisms in the world. For students to be successful in this class a variety of teaching methods will be utilized including: inquiry-based labs, group activities, discussions and cooperative learning.  Assessment of students will be based on the above teaching methodology as well as through class participation, homework, quizzes, technology, and tests. Students enrolled in this course will learn and Master: cell activities, enzyme function, DNA structure and function, protein synthesis, cell reproduction, genetics, introduction to epigenetics. Other topics covered: evolution, how microorganisms cause disease, how body systems function, energy production through photosynthesis and respiration, human impact on the environment, ecological concepts and other units in biology based on available time. Further units will be determined by the biology department/instructor as time allows.

PLEASE NOTE: Lecture topics, Laboratory experiments will be included in chapter tests and exams. Tests for this course are challenging due to the concepts being based on the application of knowledge and not verbatim from textbook test generators.

• Homework Expectation: 25 to 35 minutes per day
• Year
• 10 Credits
• UC Approved
• NCAA Approved

Prerequisites: Minimum B- in each semester of Biology Honors and concurrent enrollment in Algebra 2 Honors or completion of Algebra 2 with a minimum B- in each semester. Current teacher recommendation required.

Topics covered in this class are similar to those studied in the regular Chemistry course, but in greater depth and at a faster pace. The course will be more mathematically oriented than Chemistry. Emphasis is placed on chemical calculation and deductive reasoning. This course also emphasizes naming inorganic chemical compounds, writing balanced chemical equations and reaction stoichiometry. Lab investigations are of a more sophisticated nature than in regular Chemistry. Students joining the class late, after the official start of the school year, are required to complete the summer assignment and the first exam by the end of the first quarter. A quiz will be given on the first day of class based on the summer assignment.

• Homework Expectation: 25 to 35 minutes per day
• Summer Assignment Required: Due 1st day of class
• Year
• 10 Credits
• UC Approved for Honors
• NCAA Approved

Prerequisites for Program: Sophomores in the program must have a Minimum B- in available grades of Biology Honors and MUST be enrolled in Algebra II trig Honors and Honors Chemistry.

Students MUST be present for laboratory work, which takes place during block schedules. No labs can be made-up. Absence from labs may cause a significant grade deduction.

Transfer students: Must meet the above academic requirements and will have two weeks from the first day of entering the course to complete the summer assignment. NO student will be accepted after two weeks of instruction.

AP Biology is equivalent to a two-semester introductory college biology course taken by students majoring in a biological science. AP Biology differs from regular high school biology by the use of a college-level text, a greater range and depth of topics covered, a faster pace of instruction, more sophisticated lab work, and more time and effort required of students in order to succeed in the course. This course has been authorized by the College Board as meeting the requirements for AP Biology.

Students who are genuinely interested in pursuing a career in the biological sciences or medical fields are especially advised to take AP Biology in high school. AP Biology provides students a significant advantage in college by allowing them to acquire the foundation in concepts and skills prerequisite to many college biological science courses. The ability to succeed in AP Biology gives students confidence and a knowledge base to be successful in future science classes.

• Homework Expectation: 50 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes per day, can include weekends and breaks
• Summer Assignment Required: Due on 1st day of class
• AP Exam Required: $105 Fee
• Year
• 10 Credits
• UC Approved for Honors
•  NCAA Approved

Prerequisites: Concurrent enrollment in one of the following math courses: Precalculus Honors/Calculus/AP Calculus AB or BC.

PLEASE NOTE: Transfers cannot petition for enrollment into this class.

This course examines the inner workings of the human body in terms of structure and function along with systemic relationships focusing on the tissues, integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous and endocrine systems. Case studies will be a supplementary key to integrating knowledge through application.

Laboratory work will be required, including anatomy dissection of cat, sheep brain, pig heart and kidney.
Students will use the Laerdal SimMan "WALDO" who will be programmed to emulate a healthy patient and pathological scenarios. This course parallels anatomy and physiology courses taught at the collegiate and medical levels of secondary education.

• Homework expectation: 25 to 35 minutes per day
• Year
• 10 Credits
• UC Approved
• NCAA Approved

Prerequisites: Enrollment in the Medical Magnet Program and completion of the following courses with a B or better in all semesters: Biology Honors and Chemistry Honors. Anatomy and Physiology Honors and AP Biology is to be taken concurrently or previously to this course; teacher's approval. Students not enrolled in the Medical Magnet may petition the class if space is available and have met all other course prerequisites.

This course focuses on the basic concepts of genetics and adds an emphasis on current issues in genetics. It is designed to augment the required core science courses and applicable courses designated for the Pre-medical Professional Magnet Program. The topics of study will be genetic material, the gene as a unit of recombination, mutation, function, and regulation. The course will begin with Mendelian genetics to introduce basic concepts and the history of genetics. Students will be expected to participate in a number of significant labs using Pasco probe and other technology such as gel electrophoresis.

• Homework expectation: 25 to 35 minutes per day
• Semester
• 5 Credits
• UC Approval Pending
• NCAA Approved

The Introduction to Neuroscience course begins with the study of nerve cells: their structure, the propagation of nerve impulses and transfer of information between nerve cells, the effect of drugs on this process, and the development of nerve cells into the brain and spinal cord. Another area that will be studied is the sensory systems: 1) olfaction 2) hearing 3) gustation 4) vision. There will be in-depth discussions on topics such as how physical energy such as light is converted into neural signals, where these signals travel in the brain, and how they are processed. The course includes an analysis of the control of voluntary movement as well as the neurochemical bases of brain diseases and those systems which control motivation, emotion, learning and memory.

• Simulation Labs: Neurons In Action 2: Tutorials and Simulations
• Neuron Computational Simulation Lab

Course Objectives
The medical neuroscience course has the following objectives:
To provide basic science information needed for courses such as physiology, pathology, physical diagnosis, pharmacology, neurology, and neurosurgery
To provide information and experiences so that students can diagnose the functional status of the nervous system from the signs and symptoms of the patient.

• Homework expectation: 25 to 35 minutes per day
• Semester
• 5 Credits
• UC Approval Pending
• NCAA Approved