Portage High School students learned Tuesday there’s more to health care careers than doctors and nurses.
After touring St. Mary Medical Center and Northwest Health Porter hospitals, they converged on Ivy Tech Community College’s Valparaiso campus to learn about training for various careers.
Karma Brennan, a junior, wants to be a veterinarian but learned a skill that can be transferred to humans as well.
“I was taking the staples off the wound,” she said. “It wasn’t that hard.”
Carter Scott, a sophomore, helped deliver a baby in a simulated C-section. “You have to grab the baby and pull out really hard,” he said, but not so hard the baby is injured.
“I never really thought about that field,” Scott said, but now he’s considering it.
After delivering the baby, he tried his hand at a simulated laparoscopic gall bladder surgery.
Marsha Eriks, surgical technologist instructor and program chair, expected 60 to 100 students to cycle through her labs.
“I enjoy the enthusiasm that they bring,” he said.
“Everyone wants to be a nurse. No one knows what a surgical technologist is,” Eriks said. In fact, when she was a student, she thought she would become a nurse before wondering who that person in the operating room was.
Kimberly Martinez, department chair for the medical assistant program, understands that feeling. “They always think we’re nurses,” she said, but unlike nurses, medical assistants don’t have to put up with 12-hour shifts.
A certificate can be earned in three semesters, but most opt for the two-year associate degree, Martinez said.
Medical assistants do a variety of tasks, including removing staples, wrapping wounds and drawing blood.
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“I make sure they’re very comfortable” when drawing blood, Martinez said. “I’m right there, next to them.”
Keeping the patient comfortable includes watching what you say. “That’s one word we don’t use is, stab,” she said. “We don’t want to scare patients away.”
PHS senior Nia Huff offered her perspective as a patient. Like many patients, she doesn’t like to see the needle puncturing her skin. “Once it’s in, I’m completely fine,” she said.
In wrapping wounds, the key is to maintain the tension and make sure the wound is covered and protected, said Brooklynn Mejia, a medical assistant student at Ivy Tech, as she demonstrated on a Portage High School student.
Darlene Dulin, dean of health, walked the students through preparing prescriptions. She gave the visitors a gift after attending her presentation. “When I filled your Skittles prescriptions, I didn’t touch them. You can eat your Skittles,” she said.
“Anyone want to be a pharmacist? It’s a good job. It pays very well,” Dulin said.
She urged anyone interested in becoming a pharmacist to get a credential as a pharmacy technician first to earn money and experience while completing the degree required to become a pharmacist.
The state’s Next Level Jobs program pays the tuition for students to take classes for high-demand jobs, Dulin said.
Madelin Fry, dual credit connection coach at Ivy Tech, reminded students they can earn college credits while still in high school. “Take English, take math, get your free dual credits,” she urged.
“You don’t need a lot of debt,” Fry said. “You can get what you want and get right to work.”
The Health Care 360 program was sponsored by Portage Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Andy Maletta said it’s a next-level version of a career fair. Instead of having students visit a series of booths, they get exposed to careers in health care by witnessing hospitals and seeing the training required for the jobs at Ivy Tech.
“It’s not just doctors and nurses,” Maletta said. Even HVAC technicians can work at hospitals.
Part of economic development is not just recruiting and retaining businesses but also helping make sure employers can hire the workforce they need. “I’ve got a high school full of kids in Portage. We’ll get workers for you,” Maletta tells employers.
Maletta also serves as Portage Township School Board president.
In addition to the Health Care 360, Maletta’s nonprofit offers similar programs for manufacturing and construction.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.