ROANOKE, Va. – Carilion Clinic is working to address a growing health care worker shortage nationwide by introducing local high schoolers to jobs in the medical field.
“My grandma was a nurse and I just love helping people,” said Callie Newbill, a 10th grader at North Side High School, who wants to be a pediatric nurse. “Just hearing her stories and how she helped so many people, I wanted to do the same thing.”
Franklin County High School Junior Jamriya Hale wants to become a travel nurse or work in the trauma room.
“I enjoy helping people and giving them more days to live,” said Hale.
Emma Ostrander is a senior at Cave Spring High School with dreams of becoming an EMT.
“Or something like that in the trauma center,” said Ostrander. “So anything that’s like hands-on saving a life.”
These are the future faces of health care in the Roanoke Valley.
This week, a dozen high schoolers from across Southwest Virginia got hands-on experience in health care at Camp Carilion, learning everything from CPR to how to stitch someone up.
“Some may not know their path until they see it. So, the exposure is very important,” said Karri Proctor, the Student Services Manager for Visiting Student Affairs / Medical Education at Carilion Clinic.
Proctor said Camp Carilion exposes students to all aspects of the health care field: from the front desk to the front lines.
“Anybody that is helping save one person, because it takes a village,” said Proctor.
The camp comes at a critical time: a nationwide health care worker shortage. Projections show that by 2036, nonmetro areas will only have 44% of physicians needed.
“Everyone’s short-staffed. It’s not just Carilion. Our partners in the community, they’re also short-staffed,” said Proctor. “So if we can get anybody saving lives in any capacity, we are grateful.”
“I just feel like people who work in the medical industry and go out help people every day, they’re like the superheroes of real life,” said Ostrander. “They’re actually making a direct impact and like literally saving people’s lives. And I think it’s really cool and it’s one of the best jobs you can have.”
As for these students, they’re training to be superheroes one day too.