Students Get Exposure to In-Demand Health Care Careers at AdventHealth Carrollwood

October 30, 2023 — Students at Berkley Preparatory Academy in Tampa received invaluable, firsthand experience to some of the most in-demand careers in health care with AdventHealth Carrollwood. This is part of AdventHealth West Florida's commitment to supporting clinical education and academic partnerships.

As part of their strategic plan, AdventHealth reached out to schools, both public and private. Berkley Preparatory Academy was one of the first to want to take part in their new student-focused outreach program. The goal is to recruit the best and the brightest team members as the need for health care workers in Florida grows.

"We have students shadowing in both the emergency department and our cath lab to see how patients are taken care of in the hospital," said Charity Carlisle, AdventHealth Carrollwood's Chief Nursing Officer. "I think some of them are already on the path. I think you really seal the deal when you see it in action. The way I learned I wanted to be a nurse was through an emergency room ER TV show! So the fact that they actually get to go into the hospital and see it, if they weren't excited before, hopefully, this will engage them!"

In a booming health care field, the United States expects to add 1.9 million new health care jobs to the workforce by 2028. Of the 30 fastest-growing occupations reported by the Bureau of Labor, 18 are in health care and other related occupations.

Florida hospitals are seeing a 38 percent reduction in nurse turnover and vacancy rates, according to the Florida Hospital Association's 2023 survey. Despite these improvements, the state anticipates significant healthcare professional shortages by 2035.

Many of the students on Monday's hospital tour found themselves leaning toward a career in health care as a result of their experience at AdventHealth Carrollwood.

"It's been a really great experience to come out and see what we've been taught in action," said Sofia Nassif, a tenth-grade student at Berkley Prep who is studying athletic training. "To see how they all work together to reach the common goal of people's health and treating people."

"It's been an awesome experience. They took us through the cath lab downstairs and showed us some of the procedures they were doing in the radiology room," said Olivia Alvarodiaz, a tenth-grade student at Berkley Prep. "They showed us the scans and how they determined what was going on, finding the mass in the lung. It was pretty cool because I've never experienced that before."

"I originally wanted to pursue a career in radiology, so going up to see the cath lab and then going up to CT and radiology and seeing the scans as they were taken, then seeing the lung biopsy, it was so interesting," said Davy Zahn, a Berkley Prep senior.

This is the second time AdventHealth Carrollwood has had the opportunity to work with Berkley Preparatory Academy Students. Earlier this year, clinical team members brought "Nurse Anne", a simulator, to the school to provide some hands-on medical training.