SANFORD, NC - Over 500 eighth grade students from Lee County middle schools had the opportunity to get a great overview of the wide range of occupations available to them in the healthcare field as FirstHealth of the Carolinas partnered with Lee County Schools’ Career and Technical Education Department to host the first Health Career Fair at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center.
FirstHealth brought staff from an assortment of departments and specialties to help give students a variety of exposure to career pathways available to them once they graduate. Staff on hand provided insight into their field of medicine while engaging with students in hands-on demonstrations of various tools and techniques used in their specialty.
Cayden, an eighth grade student from SanLee Middle, enjoyed the exhibits, particularly the Food and Nutrition display that included a cooking demonstration. “It was cool to see the food being cooked and for them to check your pulse,” he said. “I might be interested in being an EMS Driver, because you get to drive around and see different things and help people.”
Other students really were interested in the Rehabilitation Services display which included interactive games that would be used to help patients with balance and strength, while another eighth grade student, Kailee, was intrigued with the surgical station. “It was pretty cool to see the surgery table and the video that showed the inside of the knee. That’s interesting how they work on that part of the body,” she said, describing her interaction with the surgeon and surgical nurse at the event.
Berni Szczepanski is the Chief People Officer with FirstHealth of the Carolinas and she noted that they were excited to partner with Lee County Schools to offer this event to students. “We are in Lee County. We have a large presence here with several great facilities and providing EMS Services, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to be out in our community to connect with students and really build the future healthcare workforce.”
Szczepanski added, “We really want to open up student’s awareness to the wide variety of careers available in the medical field. Most of the time, people think of physicians and nurses, but there are so many other ways to have a career in health care.”
“This Healthcare Career Fair is really a great partnership to allow our students to explore career options and see if they may want to pursue some classes in our Academy of Health and Life Sciences at Lee County or Southern Lee High Schools,” said Gary Hart, Director of Career and Technical Education for Lee County Schools. “Our ultimate goal is to provide opportunities for our students to learn about things that they may be passionate about and give them the space to pursue those passions and interests in the classroom.”
