Healthcare Career “Faces of the Future” Day Huge Success
On October 7, 2024, a “Faces of the Future” healthcare career day was held at Veterans Memorial Hospital thanks to the coordination of Corinne Cook, RN, and Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC). The hospital’s Large Conference Room was completely filled with thirty-three high school students from the area school systems who quickly signed up to attend this filled-to-capacity event.
These students spent the school day at the hospital learning about a wide variety of healthcare careers, including nursing, nursing assistant, health information management/medical records, medical assistant, phlebotomy, clinical, respiratory therapy, laboratory, x-ray, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and sports medicine, pharmacy, nutrition, dietetics, behavioral health, home care, dental assistant, chiropractic, surgery, paramedic and emergency medical technician.
“What a significant opportunity for students to gain insights from the diverse professions at Veterans Memorial Hospital,” states Joann Svendsen, Nursing Faculty at NICC. “This collaboration between NICC and the local hospital is a testament to the importance of collective efforts in addressing the healthcare shortage. By participating, students not only get to see the reality of the professional but also play a crucial role in the healthcare community, making them feel valued and integral.”
Corinne Cook, RN, is retired from nursing full-time at Veterans Memorial Hospital but still helps out on occasion for special educational programs such as this. She also teaches nursing and nursing assistant classes at NICC. She states, “It is very rewarding to be a part of the collaboration between NICC, VMH, and the local school districts. During the day the students spent at VMH, they were provided insight into many career options in the Healthcare field.”
Many of Cook’s C.N.A. students commented on the event as well, with the following statements:
- I think it was a great experience for young kids to learn about all the departments of the hospital. – Elle W.
- I think the experience helped me see all of the career options that are available to us, and it was very helpful. -Claire S.
- The day was a great help for providing me with nice information regarding future pathways I can take! -Flynn K.
- The visit opened my eyes to all the different departments there, and the staff did a nice job explaining their jobs. It was interesting to see all the different positions the healthcare field has to offer. -Mallory B.
- It was helpful to go around and learn about the different jobs our hospital has to offer. -Emma O.
Cook plans to coordinate the next healthcare career “Faces of the Future” day in the fall of 2025. For more information, please contact NICC at 563-568-3060.
