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Health Science Extension Topics

Placeholder content for three health science specialties the CCE curriculum does not currently dedicate a week to but that appear in Irving ISD high school pathways and in student career interest. Intended as drop-in source material for the health science coordinator team. Until populated, these topics can be referenced as Extension activities or flagged in Hat Research when students express specific interest.

Status: Awaiting source materials from Irving ISD health science coordinators. Do not promote these sections into primary weekly content until the SOURCE_PENDING tags below are removed and citations are added.

Physical Therapy (PT) and Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)

Integration hooks in existing curriculum:

  • 2SW Wk3 (Nursing / Health Science) Day 1 Hat Research: PT is a natural Extension Hat for students whose RIASEC includes Helper + Doer.
  • 2SW Wk6 (Biomedical / Health Science) Day 2-4: PT connects to the Mark (athlete rehab) client scenario if coordinators want to spin PT into a formal Day 2 activity.
  • 6SW Wk1 (Education / Community) Day 4: PT volunteer/shadow hours at a PT clinic fit as a community service option.

What to fill in once source is available:

  • DFW entry-level salary for PTA (currently BLS national median is the fallback)
  • Irving ISD pathway connection (if any; currently Medical Therapeutics at Singley touches this lightly)
  • Specific H&L Hat profile match and workbook chapter citation
  • Education pathway: Associate (PTA) vs Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) distinction

Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Integration hooks in existing curriculum:

  • 2SW Wk3 (Nursing / Health Science) Day 3 micro:bit vital signs activity: sonography is the next-level imaging professional students should know about.
  • 2SW Wk4 (Dental / Medical Billing) Day 1 Health Informatics Hat Research: sonography fits the high-skill-high-demand classification.
  • 5SW Wk2 (Civil Engineering) Day 4: imaging technology has civil engineering cross-links (bridge ultrasonic inspection).

What to fill in once source is available:

  • DFW DMS training programs (community college partnerships)
  • ARDMS certification pathway (what's required, how long, how expensive)
  • Specific H&L Hat profile match and workbook chapter citation
  • Irving ISD pathway connection (Medical Therapeutics Singley likely overlaps)

Sports Medicine and Athletic Training

Integration hooks in existing curriculum:

  • 2SW Wk3 (Nursing / Health Science) Day 1 Hat Research: athletic trainer is an Extension Hat for Doer + Helper + Achievement students.
  • 2SW Wk6 (Biomedical / Health Science) Day 2 Mark (athlete rehab): this is the natural home for a sports medicine deep-dive.
  • 3SW Wk5 (Cosmetology) Day 1 stress management: sports med connects to the wellness-adjacent careers branch.
  • 6SW Wk4 (Sales / Presentations) Day 3: sports agency and sports PR overlap with sports medicine careers.

What to fill in once source is available:

  • Difference between Athletic Trainer (AT), Sports Physical Therapist (SPT), and Sports Medicine Physician
  • NATA BOC certification for ATs
  • Irving ISD pathway connection (possibly Health Science or Medical Therapeutics)
  • Specific H&L Hat profile match and workbook chapter citation
  • Clinical vs. scholastic sports med context (high school AT vs. pro team AT)

How to Drop in Source Content

When a coordinator delivers source material for any of the three sections above:

  1. Remove the corresponding <!-- SOURCE_PENDING: ... --> tag.
  2. Replace the "What to fill in" checklist with concrete content (named H&L chapter, citable BLS data, specific Irving ISD pathway, etc.).
  3. Add the section to the appropriate week's Overview "Irving ISD Pathway" note if there's a direct pathway match.
  4. Consider whether the source content is substantial enough to promote from this resource page into a day-file Extension section. If yes, move it and leave a pointer here.

Grep recipe for finding all pending source placeholders:

grep -rn "SOURCE_PENDING" docs/