HHS Medical Academy FAQ

Below you will find frequently asked questions about taking classes in the Medical Academy.

Is Medical Skills and Services a semester or year-long class?	Semester
Is Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS) a semester or year-long class?	Year-long
Can I take both Medical Skills and Services (MSS) and Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS)?	Yes
Should I take Medical Skills and Services (MSS) or Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS)?	If you really, really, really like science and science experiments then you should do Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS). If you are thinking medicine, or maybe you are not sure and want to give medicine a chance but you are not hugely into science and lab experiments then Medical Skills and Services (MSS) is for you.
What if I really want to take Medical Skills and Services (MSS) and Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS) but can only fit one in my schedule?	Take Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS) – it is only offered to Freshmen and Sophomores and if you find out you really love it you have a chance to make it to the 4th year – Biomedical Innovation. Medical Skills and Services (MSS) is offered to Freshmen through Seniors so you will always have another chance in later years to take Medical Skills and Services (MSS). If you think you might like Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS) – give it a shot Freshman year to give yourself the opportunity to take 4 years of Project Lead the Way classes (PLTW)
How much homework is there in Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS)?	There is some homework like writing up lab reports and studying for tests but not as much as an honors or AP class.
How much homework is there in Medical Skills and Services (MSS)?	Medical Skills and Services (MSS) requires students to do a lot of work but the work is either done in class (if taking traditionally) or on no blended class days (off days if taking blended). There is a lot of work to do, but not much to actually do at home other than some memorizing of terms.
Is Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS) or Medical Skills and Services (MSS) offered blended?	Principles of Biomedical Sciences (PBS) is not offered blended but Medical Skills and Services (MSS) is.
I heard something about college credit, what’s that about?	Some colleges (not all) accept college credit for the Project Lead the Way classes. It is usually 3 credit hours per year long class as long as you end up with the grade they require for the class and the grade they require on the end of course assessment. So, if you were to take all 4 years of the PLTW Biomedical Sciences classes you could end up with 12 semester hours of college credit when you graduate from high school. Most colleges only accept these as elective credits and not science credits, but it could give you an edge when registering for classes or choosing housing. More information about this can be found on the Project Lead the Way website.