Sentara Albemarle Medical Center program exposes youth to healthcare careers

Israel Denny was a junior majoring in kinesiology at Elizabeth City State University, but he wasn’t sure where that degree would take him.

He began attending Healthcare Explorers meetings to learn about his options.

The monthly meetings at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center have exposed him to a variety of careers in healthcare.

"It gives you perspective on what’s possible,” Denny said during the September meeting of Healthcare Explorers, the first at the new Sentara Albemarle Medical Center, which opened its doors in August.

Healthcare Explorers launched in 2022 at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center with the goal of showing youth aged 14 to 20 the wide range of jobs in healthcare, including lesser-known ones such as surgical tech, medical technologist, and physical therapist.

The program will continue at the new hospital, enabling local students to talk with practicing professionals, learn about education requirements, and perform hands-on activities.

Students learn about emergency medical services during a Healthcare Explorers meeting earlier this year.

“We create simulated experiences where youth get to use real, hands-on skills,” said Dr. Donald Bowling, the hospital’s vice president and chief medical officer, who started and runs the program.

The reaction among participants has been very positive.

“They love the program,” Dr. Bowling said. “They love getting to know different areas.”

A scoutmaster who grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Dr. Bowling said he wanted to help youth gain the kind of real-world experience and job exposure that was unavailable to him as a boy.

“I didn’t have those experiences as a kid, and I want to create them for the youth of today,” he said.

He also cited healthcare workforce shortages in rural areas like Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where Sentara Albemarle Medical Center is located. The American Hospital Association predicts a national shortage of 100,000 critical health care workers by 2028. That burden falls disproportionately on rural communities.

“Especially in rural areas, we see the pinch on the healthcare workforce,” said Dr. Bowling. “We’ve got to reach down and grow our future employees.”

Students tour a medical laboratory during a Healthcare Explorers meeting earlier this year.

Getting hands-on exposure

At the recent meeting of Healthcare Explorers, participants learned about the field of respiratory therapy, which helps people who have trouble breathing.

Respiratory therapists Kelley Harris and Jay Meadows discussed their daily duties, gave an overview of starting pay and typical job hours, and demonstrated how to insert an artificial ventilation tube into a mannequin.

Harris, a respiratory care supervisor, said the meetings are helpful because youth get “hands-on exposure” to lesser-known healthcare careers.

"They’re getting to see it firsthand,” said Harris, adding that she didn’t have that opportunity when she was younger.

Allie Winslow, 16, attends the Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies in Elizabeth City. She has been going to Healthcare Explorers meetings for a few years. Her mother is a nurse, and the monthly meetings have helped her decide that she wants to be a nurse, too.

"If you’re on the fence about doing healthcare, or you don’t know what you want to do in healthcare, this is definitely a really fun way to see all of your options and learn what you can do,” said Winslow.

Allie Winslow, 16, listens to respiratory therapists talk about education requirements during the September meeting of Healthcare Explorers.

Some of the students who participated in the first Healthcare Explorers meetings are already working in their chosen fields, according to Dr. Bowling.

"We’re definitely already seeing the nurses and radiation technologists return,” he said.

At the end of the September meeting of Healthcare Explorers, Denny said he enjoyed learning about respiratory therapy. He’s still deciding on his future.

"I would say this one and the physical therapy one were probably the most interesting to me."