The Mehlville School District is presenting  a college credit biomedical program before the Board of Education during the November school board meeting. The program would be a four year program, but students would have the freedom to begin, at any year and every year, a different college credit class.

The course is not set in stone, and may not even surface if not approved by the Board. Currently, the program is in the hands of the curriculum advisor Mrs. Sherry Lang, who will propose it.

Students would still need to take physics, chemistry, and biology since the Bio-med program would not take place of requisite science courses, but they may opt to take the classes as electives. The course would consist of Principles of Biomedical Sciences, Human Body Systems, Medical Interventions, and Biomedical Innovation.

According to AP Biology teacher Mrs. Laura Thomas, the difference between an AP class and classes like the biomedical program is the acceptance of the credit. In a regular college credit class the student would either test for the credit or pay for it; however, the Bio-med classes would only be accepted in certain universities that offer the same degree program such as Missouri S&T.

“St. Louis is in the Biotech Belt,” said Thomas. “Schools like WashU, SLU, and the school of medicine offer lots of opportunities and the industry for it is pretty wide.”

Broad interests across the student body regarding the field of medicine inspired the Mehlville School District to try and introduce the program to the high schools.