Careers in Healthcare
Students explore options at hospital
Linda Sappington
Ronan student Louetta Conko-Camel acts as a patient while touring the emergency room at St. Luke Community Hospital.
Linda Sappington
Students react to a photo of an open wound while touring the physical therapy department.
Linda Sappington
Hailey Schippers prepares to stick her hand in warm wax in the physical therapy departmen
Linda Sappington
Ronan student Corbin Davis practices intubating a dummy while visiting the emergency room.
Linda Sappington
Kyla Kirsh of Charlo High examines needles.
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
Linda Sappington
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Charlo and Ronan high school students spent a full day Dec. 2 at St. Luke Community Healthcare rotating through a variety of departments while learning about job duties, policy, procedures, and just how much education and training is required for each specific healthcare position.
Many of the students were able to experience the duties first hand, as in the emergency room where they learned to intubate a male dummy head named “Fred” and drill a special needle through a skin-lined substance into a bone, a procedure used for quickly adding fluids to a body.
“They really like the hands-on stuff,” said Charlo science teacher Rheanna Fultz, who brought students from her anatomy and physiology class.
As a high school senior, Hailey Schippers has explored different medical careers through REACH for a few years. She hopes to one day work with ultrasound and mammography situations.
“I’m super excited for radiology,” Schippers said. “This is what I want to do.”
Ronan junior Sammy Metzger said she’s not yet sure what career she’ll choose, but most likely it will be in the medical field.
“This helps me decide,” Metzger said. “It shows what you go through to get where you want to be.”
Ronan junior Brianna Harris agreed the day provides a “really good opportunity for us to check out careers,” she said. She was intrigued with the clinical lab scientists that study blood work under a microscope. The lab was only one of several medical areas she’s interested in. When asked if she is considering a career in a medical field, Harris replied “One hundred percent. I’m not interested in anything else.”
REACH was developed by the Montana Area Health Education Center in 2007 to meet a growing need for health care workers by giving students early exposure to the health care industry and the many career choices available. This year students attended a session hosted by dentist Gayle Siemers.
Some of the departments were a bit more graphic than others.
“If you are feeling queasy, make sure to take a seat,” Martha Robertson, Montana AHE program coordinator reminded the students during their lunch break. “We don’t want anyone bonking their heads from passing out.”
