DeLand High School’s medical program seniors were invited to spend an afternoon at AdventHealth DeLand to educate and inspire the future of health care.
The focus of the first-of-its-kind event, Step into the Future of Health Care, was to give students an idea of the career opportunities available to them after high school. The event included a panel discussion, lunch, and a facility tour.
"Our panel discussion consisted of five leaders, as well as staff members.” said Sky Kellogg, Talent Attraction Strategist. "We wanted them to be able to see a wide variety of positions and age ranges represented on the panel."
During the facility tour the students were able to visit multiple units such as the Emergency Department, Medical Surgical Cardiac/Telemetry, Surgical Services, Diagnostic Imaging, Pharmacy, and Transitional Care Unit Rehab. Students gained insights into how the different teams and specialists come together to treat patients.
"It's important for us to be able to connect with high school students because it gives them an idea of opportunities that exist within the marketplace that they may not have thought of before," said Nick Bejarano, Chief Operating Officer.
By giving students in person exposure to the health care field, the possibilities become tangible. The concepts they learned in the classroom became a reality right before their eyes. Students learned about how distinct parts of the hospital operate and saw firsthand what the culture is like at AdventHealth.
Kala Plaskett, Sr. Manager Imaging Operations, was excited to share AdventHealth's mission, "This is an opportunity for them to see how we serve here at AdventHealth and extend the Healing Ministry of Christ. In addition, it gives our seniors an opportunity to learn about our career paths and educational options that can help facilitate their growth."
The feedback from the students spoke volumes to the success of this event. They learned that their future health care careers could start as soon as they graduated high school. The post-event survey also showed that the facility tour exceeded their expectations, allowing them to experience so much more outside of their textbooks and classrooms.
Ai, a student at DeLand High School, was pleasantly surprised by what she learned, "I was expecting just kind of a walkthrough of the hospital, but it was more than that. We really found out a lot about each department and how we can work towards a higher-level position."
Step into the Future of Health Care is an excellent way to educate and engage with our community, inviting high school students to learn more about clinical and non-clinical roles and get excited about a career at AdventHealth.
Priscilla Caro, Nurse Technician, and current Nursing student, looks to the future, "I think it's important to reach students at this age just because they are our future of health care.”
Cynthia Hunt, DeLand High School Health Science, Career & Technical Education Teacher, shared her thoughts with us after the event. “Our participation in the Step Into the Future Event had an extremely positive and beneficial impact on my students. A high level of professionalism and compassion was shown by every AdventHealth Hospital DeLand employee as they made time to speak to each of my students. As a result, students who were questioning their career choices now want to continue their education into the Nursing field and many are planning on working for AdventHealth. Thank you for sharing your passion for helping people and showing my students what they can obtain in their future medical careers.”
AdventHealth looks forward to replicating this event at high schools across Central Florida and igniting this same inspiration in the coming months.
To join our family, visit https://jobs.adventhealth.com/.
You can view a recap of the event here: Step Into the Future of Health Care at AdventHealth - YouTube
