WATCH: Brevard High School Students Gain Real-World Healthcare Experience During Health First Summer Camp

Brevard Public Schools and Health First partner to host 5-day Healthcare Summer Camp

WATCH: Brevard County high school juniors and seniors took their first steps toward a potential healthcare career as participants in a week-long summer healthcare camp at Holmes Regional Medical Center hosted by Health First.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Over 20 rising Brevard County high school juniors and seniors took their first steps toward a potential healthcare career as participants in a week-long summer healthcare camp at Holmes Regional Medical Center hosted by Health First.

In partnership with Brevard Public Schools, the 5-day Healthcare Summer Camp this week provided students with a behind-the-scenes look at the medical field, while connecting with healthcare professionals to determine if a future career in healthcare is right for them.

During the week, students took part in:

■  Career exploration activities.
■  Hands-on simulations with healthcare equipment and technology.
■  Q&A panels with healthcare professionals.
■  Community health initiatives.
■  Team-building exercises.
■  Tours of hospital departments.
■  An opportunity to package healthcare supplies for Streetside Showers, serving Brevard’s homeless.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry is expected to add more new jobs than any other industry over the next 10 years, approximately 1.6 million jobs from 2023 to 2033, which accounts for approximately 24 percent of all jobs expected to be added to the economy.

The healthcare industry is also anticipated to be the third-fastest-growing industry, with a growth rate of 9 percent. This growth will still fail to keep pace with a growing population and an aging workforce that will retire from the healthcare arena.

According to Deirdre Crowder, associate development supervisor, Health First is hosting career development opportunities, such as this week’s camp, to engage, inform, and introduce students to a career in healthcare before they enter college or technical school.

“Many of these students have already decided that they are very interested in health care, and they learned about a lot of different options and about the many clinical and non-clinical roles,” said Crowder.

“They’ve had the opportunity to tour the hospital, talk to leaders, clinicians, see procedures, and do some hands-on skills. Some of them want to be surgeons, some physicians, some nurses. And since they’ve been able to go to these different areas throughout health first and actually witness and participate in some of the activities that are performed in those areas, they’ve learned about the workflow, the skills needed, and they’ve asked a lot of very good questions about their future, how they need to plan for college, and what else they need to do to get involved in health care.”

Chloe Strong, a rising junior at Melbourne High School, said, “I’m here this week to get to see everyone’s different roles and to see what kinds of fields there are. Most people think of just nursing or doctors. And I just wanted to see what there is and keep an open mind about how many jobs there are. I’m thinking about being an ICU nurse or possibly working with pediatrics – and we actually got to see the pediatrics unit this week, as well as the different levels of an ICU. It was amazing.”

“My mom signed me up for this camp, but I’m so glad she did. Moms know best, you know,” joked Harrison Buck, a rising senior at Cocoa Beach High School. “But I came here because I was always interested in medicine and helping people, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. This experience has helped me tremendously. I know every single job that goes into making this place such an awesome hospital and one of the most recommended in our county. And it’s helped me really pick out what I want to do, get focused, and definitely be able to one day hopefully become a doctor.”

“I wanted to better understand health care and how we help people in our community and better understand where I want to go in the future and how I can help people,” said Tea Prior, a rising senior at Melbourne High School.

“We’ve gotten to really see everything. We went to the laboratory to learn how they test urine and blood samples. We went into the ICU, and we got to see the First Flight helicopter, which was definitely so cool. We got to see a mock surgery, which was super exciting. We got to see Cath Lab, which I loved, and meet doctors and nurses, and really speak to administrators, seeing what they do and how to get there. I’ve had so much fun and I’m so grateful for this opportunity. And I really think we should keep doing this camp. I already told my younger sister that if they do this again while she is in high school, she definitely should sign up, no matter what she wants to do. If you want to go into healthcare, I think anybody should get this opportunity in high school.”

Crowder explained that by introducing students to healthcare fields while they’re in high school, they are better able to explore and consider different careers, which helps them to choose a pathway.

“We have lots of entry-level positions at Health First, where they can come in and start exploring more about how they want to work in healthcare and, you know, different roles that we have, and then they can grow throughout their career here at Health First,” said Crowder.

“There are many different ways that they can receive more training and assistance with going back to school and creating a long-term healthcare career. Everyone needs to start somewhere. So, any job is great to start off, and you get experience as soon as you walk in the door, and you get to see a variety of different careers, and then find what’s best for you. That’s one of the things that I’m proud of, our ‘grow your own’ developmental mindset we have here.”

The post WATCH: Brevard High School Students Gain Real-World Healthcare Experience During Health First Summer Camp appeared first on Space Coast Daily.