Career Exploration in Health Professions

Junior Volunteer programs are currently available at Winchester Medical Center and Warren Memorial Hospital providing the youth of our community the opportunity to explore medical careers while serving our patients and visitors within our facility. The Junior Volunteer program begins in June and ends on Labor Day of each year. This is for youth who can commit 50 hours of volunteer service, who are still in high school. Applications include a health screening and TB test. Interviews will be conducted during May followed with an orientation. Applications are available in The Volunteer office February 14th to May 1st.

If you have an interest in exploring a career in the health and medical field, then Post 109 would like for you to join them. Some of the areas that you will be exposed to are Surgical Tech Program, Nursing Careers, Pharmacy, Emergency Medicine, Rehab, Respiratory Services, Radiology Tech School, and Cardiac Cath Lab. Post 109 is for boys and girls ages 14 to 20 with an interest in a medical career. For information, please contact Sara Wagner at 540-536-8156 or Bryan Lloyd at 540-662-2551.

Several Valley Health facilities offer summer youth day camps, some for middle school and some for high school age youth. The purpose of the day camps is to explore a variety of health professions and introduce regional youth to the healthcare environment.

A 4-day Middle School day camp for rising 6th-9th graders designed for up to 20 youth. Through fun and interactive activities, camp participants will explore many parts of the Medical Center, visit the nursing skills labs and the cadaver lab at Shenandoah University, learn some basic clinical skills such as hand washing, giving an injection, and starting an IV. The camp week culminates in a celebration party showcasing the participants and their activities. Cost is $175 For more information, contact camp WMC coordinator Lisa Zerull lzerull@valleyhealthlink.com.

Students will learn CPR, how to start an IV, how to give an injection, explore an ambulance, ‘dressing’ for the OR, and how to use surgical instruments. Snacks are provided along the way to keep them going all day long. For more information please call 540-459-1220. Camp is held mid-summer and dates vary year to years.

This is a fun, interactive learning experience for rising eighth and ninth graders, in hopes they will consider a career in healthcare. Activities include culturing germs from door handles and cell phones, suturing a pig’s foot and a “Diaper Dynamo” race. This camp is usually held the first week following the end of the school year. Space is limited.

High school students are actively making decisions about future careers and selecting vocational or academic programs of study. In some cases, a student is interested in a health career, but needs additional information about specific health professions. Educational opportunities for observation experiences as well as participation in healthcare programs in the healthcare setting can be arranged with advance notice and when students meet all of the requirements to safely enter the healthcare environment.

This event offers hands-on activities and the opportunity to speak with Valley Health professionals and regional colleges & universities. What do healthcare professionals do? Why do people choose careers such as nursing or pharmacy? In what areas can healthcare professionals practice? For more information, contact coordinator Lisa Zerull lzerull@valleyhealthlink.com.

Here are just a few examples of hands-on activities:

• Explore cadaver lab
• Apply hand washing to get rid of germs
• Give an injection
• Start an IV
• Cast a finger
• Listen to heart and lung sounds
• Take blood pressures
• Read an X-ray

The mission of a Safe Sitter® program is to prepare young adolescents for the profound responsibilities of nurturing and protecting children. Both boys and girls age 11 to 13 can attend this medically accurate program that teaches them how to handle emergencies when caring for younger children. During the course, students will practice basic lifesaving techniques through the American Heart Association’s Family & Friends Anytime CPR so they are prepared to act in a crisis. Students also receive helpful tips to make them more confident caregivers. They learn safety precautions, how to understand children of different ages, and even the business of babysitting.

To successfully complete the program, students must pass a rigorous practical and written test to show that they have mastered the key concepts and have the skills necessary to handle an emergency. The cost is $50 for a one-day class and $75 for a two-day class; classes are scheduled at various times and hospitals throughout the year. Safe Sitter® Coordinator Tracey Ramey can be reached at 540-636-0318.