Fairfield Memorial Hospital’sAHEC program hosted a Scrub Exposure Tour on Monday, April 16thfor surrounding high school students. This event was held for juniors and seniors from high schools in Wayne and Edwards County.
Students arrived at Fairfield Memorial Hospital and were greeted by Sarah Hopfinger RN BSN, AHEC Director. They began the day with a tour of the facility where they were educated on a variety of services the hospital provides.
Following the tour they met with Lance EndsleyPharm.D., Director of Pharmacy Services at FMH, where they learned about careers in Pharmacy. Lance guided them through some hands-on activities including counting and cutting of M&M’s to demonstrate how pills are counted and cut. Students were also given the opportunity to mix food coloring in IV bags to show how to combine different medicines into IV bags. Upon finishing the Pharmacy tutorial, they met with Ashlee Johnson RN, Health Careers Educator, who gave the students information on various job opportunities and careers regarding nursing. Next, Steve Welty RN, Diabetes Education Nurse,presented information on diabetes to include hands-on activities involving carb counting and insulin injections.
Once the speakers and demonstrations were finished, the attendees participated in a career fair during which students had the opportunity to meet with FMH Department Leaders. Students were able to ask questions and gain further knowledge about the many differentcareers available in healthcare. The students finished their day with a catered lunch provided by the Fairfield Memorial Hospital Café staff.
“The Scrub Exposure Tour was designed to provide an interactive opportunity for students, offering unique exposure to a variety of health careers.” said Sarah Hopfinger, RN BSN, Director of AHEC.
“The purpose of this Tour was to give these students the opportunity to learn more about the many different careers in healthcare that they may not have been previously aware of. The healthcare industry continues to have a high demand for skilled workers with therapy and nursing being some of the areas with the highest demand. It is our hope that we have inspired at least some of these students to consider a rewarding career in healthcare as they progress in their education beyond high school,” stated Katherine J. Bunting-Williams, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Fairfield Memorial Hospital.