Connie and Lynn Baer

Grossmont High School students have the opportunity to enroll in one of five Career Technical Education pathways offered on campus. This month’s column will focus on the “Health Science and Medical Technology: Sports Medicine” pathway. Sports medicine is a two-year sequenced pathway, which emphasizes the prevention and care of sports-related injuries.

In the first year as juniors, the students discover the many careers available in sports medicine such as athletic trainer, physical therapist, medical technician and emergency medical technician. They also learn the skills needed to diagnose injuries. As seniors, the students utilize hands-on evaluation and recognition skills. As their final project, each senior creates a fictional patient and follows the patient’s progress from injury through therapy and a return to competition.

The two-year sports medicine pathway has become so popular at Grossmont that last year there was a waiting list for the junior class. Sixty-one students requested the class, but after an application process to enroll, the class was limited to 40 students. Of last year’s senior sports medicine class, 35 seniors successfully completed the sports medicine pathway.

Recently, the senior class participated in mock interviews. College juniors and seniors in the San Diego State University athletic training program visited Grossmont and interviewed the students during their class. These interviews helped the high school students learn through personal experience the types of questions asked during employment interviews in the sports medicine field.

Then, the following week, the Grossmont senior class interviewed the junior class to share the expertise they learned from their interviews with SDSU students. All of the students felt the interviews gave them an authentic look at the job market and its expectations.

Later in the semester, on April 28, Grossmont sports medicine students will visit Petco Park and tour the athletic facilities that are available to the Padres. This “real life” experience will enable the students to see the variety of equipment and personnel essential to support athletics.

Grossmont’s staff and student body are excited about the new opportunities for student learning and achievement which the Career Technical Education pathways, such as sports medicine, provide. For more information about the sports medicine pathway, please contact Chris Ray at [email protected].

Visit the GHS Museum to learn more about Foothillers past and present. The museum’s regular public hours are noon to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4 and April 1, or other Wednesdays by appointment. Call the museum at 619-668-6140, send an email to [email protected] or visit the website at foothillermuseum.com.