(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Fifteen Ketchikan High School students are seeing healthcare careers up close.

“I like Chemistry,” said Morgan Elerding, “but I don’t like blood.”

These are factors that will help Morgan determine her career in health care. The Ketchikan High School junior was helping with inventory recently at the PeaceHealth Ketchikan pharmacy.

She is one of 15 Kayhi students in the Medical Terminology class, often called Voc Med, who are job shadowing at the medical center and at other healthcare agencies in town.

“This is an interesting department,” she said. “I helped stock shelves and the other day I helped Holly (Edwards, Pharmacy Tech) prepare an IV Syringe for a knee surgery.”

David White is the instructor, “they learn 1200 medical terms – that can seem as overwhelming as climbing Mr. Everest, but we work together to learn the language of medicine and, at least, the nuts and bolts of how the different body systems work.

“By their second semester, the kids have a pretty solid foundation to begin shadowing in the different hospital departments.”

Over in med/surg, the inpatient department, Lauren Bromley talked about following in her grandmother’s footsteps. “My grandmother, Jane Monrean, is a registered nurse in Long Term Care. She has always talked about what a rewarding career it can be. We both like helping people and she loves being able to see and know the patients she works with.”

There are other examples of multi-generational caregivers at the medical center. Rita Fahey is a Radiology Technologist. Her daughter Kristen Milner is a registered nurse who was in the Kayhi class. Ultrasound Technologist Anna Peebles, another Voc Med student, and her mother Shannon Updike RN, a care coordinator, are also both long time PeaceHealth employees.

Some of the job shadow students found different inspiration for a healthcare career. Ashley Yoder plans to be a Speech Therapist. “I had some struggles with speech when I was younger,” she said. “I’ve always thought I would have a career working with people who have special needs.”

The job shadowing students get a cross section of healthcare experiences. David White said, “Olivia Berg and Charlie King are shadowing in Labor and Delivery and they got to witness a baby being born.  They said, ‘it was so amazing it brought us to tears’. 

“We are also very grateful to clinics such as Optimum Health and Wellness Physical Therapy, and Creekside Family Health Clinic, who also participate in the Kayhi shadowing program,” said David. “The students are so energized and excited about getting into action. I can't help feeling quite proud of each of them when they head out the door to shadow in their maroon and gold Kayhi scrubs!

Source of News:

PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center
www.peacehealth.org/ketchikan

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