Nearly 60 high school students from across the Northern Shenandoah Valley spent last week immersed in healthcare careers through Valley Health’s annual health sciences academy.
Participants explored multiple disciplines through hands on lessons at Laurel Ridge Community College, where they also completed a one-credit course, and Shenandoah University.
They also took a tour of Winchester Medical Center to see these fields in action.
“We’ve done trauma, nursing, physicians, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiovascular specialties. So we try to get everybody involved,” said Heather Wilson, professional development manager at Valley Health. “… This may be the first time that they’re getting to hear about these disciplines, or the options that they have, and then that just stimulates more and more interest of , ‘How do I get there?’”
The health sciences academy is aimed at rising sophomores and juniors, Wilson said, as those students are typically started to get involved in career and technical education (CTE) options at their high schools, or making decisions about college.
Over the 15 or so years that the camp has been running, Wilson said the team behind it has been able to connect students with opportunities and help them determine what their future may or may not hold.
For some students, the health sciences academy reaffirmed that the career path they thought they wanted to pursue is the right path for them, like rising Sherando junior Amisha Katuwal, who wants to work in cardiology, and rising Millbrook junior Isabela Collegeman, who wants to work in neurology.
For others, the camp opened up different possibilities they may want to investigate. The NICU, in particular, seemed to give attendees something to think about.
Rising Handley junior Zenaida Perez-Garcia said that she originally wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse, but is now leaning more towards pursuing a career in the NICU.
Rising Sherando sophomore MacKenna Bell said that her first thought was to become a pediatrician. She, too, said she may now want to work in the NICU.
Rising Sherando sophomore Tia Davenport still wants to be an anesthesiologist, though she also said she enjoyed seeing the NICU. And for rising Millbrook junior Avani Ahalt, her goal of becoming a pharmacist is still in tact.
Asked about the most notable part of their experience at the health sciences academy, many students said that seeing the cadaver lab stood out.
“As somebody who wants to go into surgery, that was really interesting, being able to see and be hands on and, you know, touch the different muscles, the last, the traps, is really cool,” said Collegeman.
Multiple attendees also noted learning how to do a stitch as a highlight.
“I thought you just had to tie it once, maybe twice,” said Ahalt. “We had to tie it, like, eight times, like the same stitch. And then the person who was helping us told us it was, like, 20 to 25 stitches. That’d be ridiculous. I’m glad I’ve never had to get stitches for that.”
Many of the students said they believe their experience at camp will help them when making decisions about classes at school, with many already participating in certified nurse aide (CNA) programs and taking classes like biology.
As for the biggest takeaway from the week, Collegeman said she was comforted by hearing all of the different journeys and pathways the professionals she met had taken to get where they were, and that it showed her how much time she and her peers have to figure things out.
“Some people explored different careers before they ended up here,” she said. “So it’s kind of, like, reassuring. Because I feel like in high school, they’re like, ‘Oh, you gotta know what you’re gonna do, where you’re gonna go right now, before you even graduate.’ So it’s comforting to just be like, ‘Oh, you actually have a little bit more free time.’”