Burrell approves anatomy class to ready students for medical careers

The Burrell School Board voted this week to add an anatomy and physiology course to prepare students for various medical fields.

Bryan Mike, a Burrell High School science teacher and head of the science department, spoke before the school board last week to present his ideas on the new course.

“We have talked about what is going on in the job market — there are two main areas: Manufacturing and health care,” Mike said.

While there are courses to prepare for manufacturing at Burrell, that’s not the case for health care, he said.

“In high school, we have zero anatomy and physiology, he said. Like other schools, the district’s health class is focused on health, wellness and nutrition.

“The most important thing we have is our bodies and we don’t study them,” Mike said.

According to the “Be a Physician Assistant blog,” anatomy and physiology is “loved by some and feared by many” but is at the heart of anyone looking for a career in medicine.

As more students are interested in nursing and other medical professions, Mike has heard them say they didn’t know anatomy and physiology. Burrell could offer the class, which down the road might qualify for a Community College course credit, he added.

School board President Pam Key said, “When we first heard the proposal, all of us were excited about it.”

The class will benefit students in vocational school as well as others considering the medical field, she said.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in health care is projected to grow 15% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Compared to other occupations, the health care field will add more jobs because the need for healthcare services continues to rise as the population ages.

Mike said he already is researching textbooks, finding one that costs $250 each. However, the district doesn’t have to pay for a textbook, because there are online textbooks for free, he said.

The district would have to pay for items such as blood pressure monitoring units and stethoscopes, Mike said. Annual costs for the new course would range between $1,350 and $1,900 after the first year purchases of equipment estimated at $2,500 to $3,000.