Beyond The Stethoscope

So many high school students are drawn toward a career in health care, yet are provided with so little information on available options.  Enter, Junior Leadership!

On Feb. 27 we held our first-ever Mid-Program Opportunity focused on Health Care Career Possibilities.  For over 6 months we collaborated with Medina Hospital’s Sarah Arend and Medina County Health Department’s Christy Rickbrodt to develop a truly unique opportunity for not only Jr. Leadership students but up to 100 high school students across the county.

Nineteen health care professionals, ranging from traditional to never-before-heard-of  jobs, shared their time and their stories with students from 7 county high schools.  Participants were able to ask questions in a small group setting with as many providers as they could engage in the 90-minute format.

“People who work here may have very different careers, but have one thing in common: they want to help people,” Arend shared with the group.

Both students and professionals gave the afternoon strong reviews.  One student was overheard telling a friend, “This is everything I had hoped for.  I’m really excited about some new ideas I didn’t even know about.”  Meanwhile, one of the health care professionals said to a co-worker, “I wish I had had something like this when I was in high school.”

Plans are already underway for next year’s event.  What a healthy example of collaborative leadership!