Northeast College offers high school anatomy course

Northeast College of Health Sciences has introduced a human anatomy and physiology course for high school students, giving them the opportunity to earn college credit.

In partnership with local K-12 school districts in the Finger Lakes region and the New York City metro area, Northeast College launched Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) to introduce students to college-level coursework.

Northeast College collaborated with the Seneca Falls Central School District to give students access to advanced anatomy education and hands-on experience. The inaugural class, held at the college’s Anatomy Center in Seneca Falls, includes instruction in human cadaver dissection, considered the gold standard for anatomy studies. Students also use state-of-the-art tools in the digital anatomy lab.

Hands-on learning for future healthcare professionals

The program encourages students to pursue higher education and explore careers in healthcare and science. Mynderse Academy senior Makayla Williams hopes to become a neuroscientist and eagerly joined the course. She and 12 classmates travel to Northeast College once a month for lab observations and experiments led by Associate Professor Ilija Arar, DC.

Students say working with human cadavers is their favorite part of the course. They also use Anatomage anatomy tables, virtual dissection tools that display 3D images of real human cadavers on large screens. In a recent class, students identified muscles of the upper and lower extremities using a cadaver donated through Northeast College’s Anatomical Gift Program.

Arar is excited about the program’s impact. “You are doing a bang-up job on the labs,” he told students during a college session. “I hope this experience will ignite a spark to create a new generation of science-literate individuals and future healthcare providers from our region.”

Preparing high school seniors for college-level studies

The Northeast College anatomy course provides students with a foundation for careers in healthcare, wellness and medical fields. It also helps them complete general education requirements before enrolling in college, said Scott Redding, a Mynderse Academy biology teacher, who teaches the lecture portion of the course.

Redding emphasized that the course also prepares students for the responsibility and independence required in college. Many students have career aspirations in medicine and science. Amelia and Myah want to be doctors, Vanyssa plans to become an anesthesiologist, Kylee hopes to be a forensic psychologist, Robert wants to be a college physical education teacher and Loc is passionate about learning how the human body works.

The inaugural Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology class will continue through June. Future high school courses will be available at Northeast College’s Seneca Falls and Long Island campuses.

For more information, visit northeastcollege.edu.

About Northeast College of Health Sciences

For more than a century, Northeast College of Health Sciences has been dedicated to training healthcare’s future leaders. At Northeast, health and wellness are the central focus, driving everything the College does. Graduate and undergraduate academic programs in areas such as chiropractic, nutrition, human anatomy instruction, massage therapy and the imaging sciences are rooted in Northeast’s mission and commitment to academic excellence, leadership and professional best practices. From its 286-acre main campus in New York’s Finger Lakes and state-of-the-art branch campus on Long Island to its renowned faculty of expert practitioners, Northeast College provides a transformative educational experience, 100% dedicated to health sciences.