For students who plan to pursue a medical career, the first course of a four-year program will be offered next year to prepare students for medical classes in college, according to Principal John Williams. The program is called “Project Lead the Way Biomedical Science” and offers four two-semester courses.

“We see it as another advantage to offer to our kids. We’ve been doing in the engineering part of Project Lead the Way and this allows us to expand to the science and medical part of it,” Williams said. “We hope that what kids take away is another experience. (If) they have an interest in this and to be able to explore it and learn and grow from and if they want to go into the medical field, they’ll leave being much more prepared than they would’ve.”

Williams said counselors have already started signing current freshmen up for the class.

Science department chairperson Jennifer Marlow said there are no prerequisites and students do not have to be an honors student to take these courses. They will be full-weighted and count as science electives. The courses are Principles of Biomedical Science, Human Body Systems, Medical Interventions and Biomedical Innovations.

Freshman Rishi Das said he signed up to take the course sophomore year. He said he wants to major in biomedical engineering as an undergraduate and then go to medical school to study neurosurgery.

“I want to do medicine in the future and I think this course could prepare me for that,” Das said. “Additionally, I’ve liked doing forensics; I think this could be a fun course as well as something that could help (my future).”

According to Marlow, students don’t have to take all four courses. She said students can double up on two.

“From what I understand (from observing this course at Hamilton Southeastern High School), there is an opportunity to double up and students can take the second year and third year course during the same year,” Marlow said.

Marlow said these courses are more applicable than typical science courses and have a bigger focus on labs and research.

“This (program) in particular ties things in with students very quickly and engages students right away,” she said. “It is almost all research and lab. Because of that, students come out with really good lab skills. Especially for students who are thinking about going into medicine but not necessarily a doctor, this would be a really good experience to see if this is something they would like to do.”