Nearly 300 local high school students attend PRH healthcare career expo
Portsmouth Regional Hospital (PRH) hosted nearly 300 students from 10 high schools on Oct. 25, 2024, to provide them with the opportunity to learn about a wide range of healthcare careers. This is the second year that Portsmouth Regional Hospital has hosted the expo.
“When we launched this high school career expo last year, we couldn’t have imagined how quickly it would grow,” said Amy Lester, market director of volunteer services for HCA New England Healthcare. “Over the last few years, we have been increasing our learning opportunities for high school and college students, introducing them to healthcare careers – everything from clinical departments to ancillary services, administration and more. There truly is something for everyone in healthcare, and we want to both help young people explore career paths in healthcare, and to help build the workforce pipeline for tomorrow.”
During the expo, students from 10 schools engaged with healthcare professionals in 18 departments. The schools included Dover High School; Sanborn High School in Kingston; Spaulding High School in Rochester; Oyster River High School in Durham; Portsmouth High School, Raymond High School; Winnacunnet High School in Hampton; Coe-Brown Academy in Northwood; Exeter High School; and the Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter.
The students not only spoke with healthcare professionals from Portsmouth Regional Hospital and Frisbie Memorial Hospital about their career paths, but also had the opportunity to be interactive: They were able to handle surgical instruments and machines, take vitals, learn how to use equipment employed in the emergency department, and much more.
“I wish there had been a program like this when I was in high school,” said Aaron Canney, RN, nursing director of the emergency department at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. “My team and I had such a great day interacting with these students, they were so engaged, so interested in how we save lives, and how we got to where we are today. I have always loved what I do for work, and it’s even more rewarding when I can share with young people what is so special about healthcare, especially emergency medicine.“
Departments that were represented: Cardiovascular Services; Emergency Care; Family Care Services; Graduate Medical Education; Healthcare Administration; Imaging; Laboratory; Medical and Surgical Weight Loss; Mental Health; Neurosciences; Nursing; Pharmacy; Radiation Oncology; Rehabilitation Services; Respiratory Therapy; Student Opportunities; Surgical Services; and Trauma Services.