Students begin their Health Career Academy experience in 10^th grade by participating in a twelve-session curriculum of project-based learning that brings hospital and medical student volunteers into the high school’s health classroom. The themes of Com­mun­i­ca­tion, Collaboration, Critical Thinking – three key 21^st Century educational skills – are emphasized throughout the program.

After all of their sessions with medical students and health professionals, learning about a variety of medical topics, and attending health related field trips, the 10th graders present a health topic of their choosing at a city-wide finale. Their presentations must include an academic and an artistic representation of the topic.