The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the RAHP (Ridgewood Academy for Health Professions) Capstone Symposium was held on Thursday, May 26 in the Ridgewood High School Campus Center. This three-year program in partnership with The Valley Hospital and Bergen Community College integrates honors-level academic courses with experiences and content in the healthcare setting. At the event, juniors presented team research projects, while seniors presented individual research projects.
>
Mission
The Ridgewood Academy for Health Professions (RAHP) is an integrated, collaborative, academic college preparatory program designed to provide students with exposure to the vast array of career opportunities within the healthcare arena.
Program Description
The Ridgewood Academy for Health Professions is a three-year program geared for students who have an interest in pursuing a career within health or medical professions. The Academy began in 2005 and will enroll 40 – 45 new sophomore students each year. The goal of the program is to integrate participating high school students’ academic college preparatory curriculum with real life learning opportunities within the health care setting.
RAHP Objectives
The objective of the Academy is to provide a comprehensive, rigorous academic curriculum focused on applied and integrated learning, core program teachers, and the option to take college level classes. RAHP will create a small learning community that provides a challenging college preparatory curriculum tied to real life experiences and establishes strong relationships between students and healthcare professionals through internships and mentorships. Students will explore careers in medicine, science, and the allied health professions.
Learning Environment
The school-learning environment combines classroom and laboratory experiences with an infusion of health care related projects, labs, and research experiences along with explorations, internships, and mentorships at The Valley Hospital throughout the three-year program. Optional classes at Bergen Community College are offered in the allied health field.
Real-World Experiences
Students are introduced to real-world experiences through career explorations, internships, mentorships, field trips and speakers. The exploration year (sophomore) is designed to provide students with exposure to the vast array of career opportunities within the healthcare area. During the internship year (junior) students select rotations in four Valley Hospital department areas to experience practical realities of work in a health related field. The third year of the program, mentorship (senior), provides students with an opportunity to explore a health-related issue under the guidance of a mentor. The culmination of the program will be the presentation of a capstone project at a RAHP seminar symposium.
Steering Committee
The Academy has a dedicated and qualified steering committee that acts as an advisory board whose mission is to provide input and direction to the Academy. The steering committee is comprised of representatives from the Ridgewood Public Schools, The Valley Hospital, and Bergen Community College. Members on the committee include administrators, coordinators, faculty and parents of enrolled RAHP students
