Choosing a career path when you’re 18 can be daunting, but students at Waipahu High School are getting some extra help with their decision.
Inside the Academic Health Center, teens are answering phones, greeting patients, and learning directly from doctors and medical professionals. That’s because this primary care clinic is on the high school campus.
Student Board of Directors for the Academy of Health and Sciences.
“Students in the Academy of Health & Sciences shadow nurses, primary care physicians, ob-gyns, and medical receptionists,” says Zachary Sheets, principal of Waipahu High School.
The school-based center is the first of its kind in the nation, where high school students get hands-on experience caring for their community. Family medicine and ob-gyn physicians, nurses, and nursing assistants from Hawaii Pacific Health staff the clinic, which is open to the public and includes four exam rooms and one treatment room.
Caring for the community
More than 500 students are in Waipahu High’s Academy of Health & Sciences pathway. They take turns in the clinic, with some helping front desk staff and others working alongside doctors in the exam room.
HPH staff from the clinic teaching in the nursing classroom.
“It’s incorporated into the curriculum, so shadowing is their class for the day,” explains Sheets.
Clinic staff also spend time in the classroom as guest speakers. This gives them more time to talk story with the students and share insights about their field.
“They’re dedicated to working with our teachers to make the curriculum relevant, so health and sciences students can get different perspectives,” says Sheets. “It’s brightening their horizons to realize what’s out there.”
Next generation of health care providers
With Hawaii facing its largest physician shortage in a decade, the Academic Health Center is helping inspire teenagers to pursue a career in the health care field and perhaps get a glimpse into their own future.
“Imagine the day one of our students is a practicing physician on their high school campus, serving the community where they grew up,” says Sheets.
The clinic doesn’t just engage Academy of Health & Sciences students. It’s been a schoolwide affair, with original artwork created by students in the Arts & Communications pathway decorating the clinic’s walls. The school’s culinary students are also involved with nutrition in the clinic.
Students' art in the waiting room.
“We’re showing the workforce that we have talented and capable students, and if they’re given opportunities, they can thrive,” says Sheets. “They’re ready to work, which benefits our students, the community of Waipahu, and the state of Hawaii.”
The Academic Health Center is accepting new patients for its primary care and ob-gyn services.
Photos courtesy Waipahu High School CAM Club
Stellar students
Students in schools across Hawaii are doing amazing things! Read more about their accomplishments and how they’re creating a better future:
beyond the diamond head hike
Waikiki Elementary School students want hikers to understand the history of Leahi (Diamond Head). They transformed an unused kiosk into an educational zone, which includes a life-sized mural of Hawaii’s majestic iwa bird and hand-drawn illustrations of the biological diversity found at Leahi.
hands-on learning in a school oasis
All kinds of herbs are growing on the sprawling campus of Jefferson Elementary School in Waikiki. Take a tour of the aquaponics garden that’s teaching keiki about the importance of balance in life.
it takes a team
Health sciences students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa are working with medical professionals in the real world. Learn how the Hawaii Interpersonal Education program is already making a difference for Hawaii’s future health care providers.
kaimana: a celebration of achievement
Meet the winners of this year’s HMSA Kaimana Awards & Scholarship Program. School principals, athletic directors, and family members traveled from across the state to honor Hawaii’s top high schools and remarkable students.
what’s cooking at waipahu high school
Students are the chefs in Waipahu High’s Marauder Café, serving up farm- and barn-to-table meals. The program helps prepare them for the restaurant industry and has even taken them abroad to learn about world cuisine.
