Murray, NEB- Each month a few students from Conestoga travel to Syracuse Area Health to explore a variety of medical careers. This is the second year that the students from Conestoga have had the opportunity to be a part of the program.

The Medical Pathfinders Program is a partnership with Syracuse Area Health in which high school students have the opportunity to get hands-on experiences and a behind the scenes look at the different departments within the hospital. The program gives multiple students a chance to explore what they are interested in and have access to people and experiences that most high school students don’t get.

Medical Pathfinders can benefit young high schoolers in many ways. By going on these trips, students are able to find some direction of interest or at the very least they can find out what doesn’t interest them. Conestoga business teacher, Jeffery Brokaw, shares, “Choosing what you want to do for the rest of your life is a tall task, so I think any exposure and experience in high school that students think is interesting can help them in preparing for their future.”

Up until this point, the Pathfinders have gone on three trips touring a variety of departments and speaking to the professionals. This year, students have done a live ultrasound, laid a cast, used surgery tools to make incisions, applied stitches and staples, and many other hands-on activities. On top of all that they have done, they are also building connections and relationships with medical professionals in the community. Medical Pathfinder student, Hadley G, states, “My favorite thing that I have done within the program is performing an ultrasound on a baby.”

Brokaw shares that the access the students get from this program is unbelievable. “When possible they shut down whole departments in order to get us in and have access to their machinery and staff,” Brokaw mentions. Bigger hospitals would not be able to give us this same access and experience.” Another perk of the trips is that at the end of each visit they provide a free drink and cookie.

“The coolest part about this experience is that we get hands-on experience with future career interests and have the ability to build connections with professionals in our community,” Hadley G adds.