Beyond the classroom: Rochester area students dive into the medical field

Jan. 6—ROCHESTER — Lily Freet is a senior from Kingsland High School in Spring Valley, but she's already seen a glimpse of what the life of a paramedic would be. Last summer, she took a class to begin the process of becoming a certified EMT, which required her to go on a handful of emergency calls.

No matter how much time she spent in a classroom, being in the field was an education unto itself.

"(Being) in the field, it showed the emotions the patient has," she said. "It opened my eyes to how much it can affect you inside as the person responding."

On Friday, she explored her options in the medical field even more while attending the event "Discovering Healthcare" at Rochester Community and Technical College's Heintz Center. Roughly 300 students from more than a dozen schools attended.

Throughout the day, students spoke with professionals in the industry, asked questions about specific fields and learned about medical equipment.

Jami Schwickerath with the Southeast Service Cooperative, said the idea for the event grew out of discussions about the need for more workers in the health care industry.

Freet is considering becoming a forensic nurse.

Another Kingsland student, Kaylie Betts, is still exploring her options within the industry.

"I don't really know exactly what part of the medical field I want to go into, so I try different events and learn about them," Betts said.

Another group of students was speaking with RCTC instructor Eileen Zirbel. A certified surgical technologist with decades of experience, Zirbel went through the local program at RCTC herself when she was starting in the field.

She answered questions ranging from the need to wear a lead vest during X-rays to how surgeons close their incisions.

The students had the chance to experiment with a surgical scenario with the aid of a laparoscopic simulator.

Although the event was an opportunity to explore the medical industry, many of the students, like Freet, already had a small taste of it. Another student, Andre Laboy, is taking a class to become EMT-certified, but he already has had exposure to the life of a first responder through a program with the Woodbury Fire Department called "fire explorers."

"Taking this class kind of reaffirmed that I really want to do this as a job and help others," he said. "Being taught and surrounded by a lot of people who give back to the community has kind of pushed me in that direction."