Thu, Jan 24, 2019 at 06:35 AM

High schoolers get inside look at rewarding healthcare careers

Health Science students from Marshal Tech School got a good education the many different careers paths available during a visit to Marshall South

High schoolers considering a medical career got a dose of reality - in a good way - during a recent visit to Marshall Medical Centers. They got an inside view of the many rewarding opportunities in the medical field.

Health Sciences students from Marshall Technical School met face-to-face with a cardiologist, a respiratory therapist, a physical therapist, a nurse, an X-ray tech and a lab tech at Marshall South. The hospital employees described their daily jobs and the educational path that got them there. They encouraged the 25 students to follow their dreams.

Tami Howard, RN and director of education at Marshall South, told potential nurses the beauty of the job is they work wherever they choose. 

“Opportunities abound for nurses,” she said. “You can find your niche anywhere.”

Dr. Kathleen Evans, a cardiologist with Heart Center, Inc located at Marshall South, outlined her long path through medical school. One of the biggest challenges of the job, she said, is balancing work with her four young children and husband. 

“It’s really hard sometimes to be a female in medicine but it’s very rewarding,” she said.

Dr. Evans also urged students to pursue the career they want and to refuse to be discouraged. 

“If you want to do it, just do it,” she encouraged. “Your dreams are in your head for a reason.”

Rewarding change in direction

Tonya Dean, director of respiratory therapy at South, told students she always wanted to be a nurse – until she got into nursing school. She soon discovered that job was not for her. She wound up in respiratory therapy and - 30 years later - she still loves her career.

“I treat every patient from newborns to geriatric,” she said. “I get to do it all.”

Kent Myer, a physical therapist at TherapyPlus North, described to students the variety in his job, which touches every health field. 

“Our goal is to get patients up and moving,” he said. “You are a tremendous asset to patients to get them back to physical function. It’s a very rewarding job.”
 

You can learn more here about the advanced cardiac care services available at Marshall Medical that the students were exposed to