Eighteen high school students gained a better understanding of the opportunities
in the health sciences by recently participating in the Summer Health Professions
Career Workshop at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The medical opportunities are endless, said Rachel Faust of Petersburg,
Neb., who was among the Nebraska juniors and seniors to visit the UNMC
campus July 30-Aug. 2.
We always look forward to spending time with the Summer Health Professions
Career Workshop students, said Lisa Jewell of the UNMC Youth Learning
Center and director of the program. These students are top notch and
come to Omaha ready to learn and ask questions.
The program provides students with an opportunity to learn and see things
that might not be available to them in their hometown hospitals, Jewell
said. Some of the highlights from this years program included a tour of
The Lied Transplant Center, visiting the College of Dentistry in Lincoln,
engaging in a general discussion about medical school, touring the Gross
Anatomy Lab and watching a demonstration of the DaVinci robot.
Im glad I got to experience this workshop, not only to discover professions
in the medical field and what theyre about, but to also meet new people,
said Elizabeth Trampe of Lexington, Neb.
Katie Madsen of Stuart, Neb., said she enjoyed the opportunity to explore
health careers and the UNMC campus. John Buller of Hampton, Neb., said
he most appreciated the hands-on experiences and the in-depth information.
The 18 high school juniors and seniors competed for available slots
by submitting an application and essay. Participants are chosen from criteria
including an interest in health sciences/health careers, personal experiences,
grade point average and extra curricular activities.
At the end of the workshop, the students must research a health science/health
career-related topic, write a short paper and present their findings to
the group.
This activity helps them self-reflect on what they learned, discover
what areas of health sciences/health careers that they might be interested
in and hopefully assist them in planning for their futures, Jewell said.
Below is a list of all the students who participated, along with their
hometowns and high schools:
BLOOMFIELD — Kayla Kumm (Bloomfield High School)
DICKENS — Tiffany Harris (Wallace High School)
ELYRIA — Josh Anders (Ord High School)
GORDON — Kelly Wallace (Gordon High School)
HAMPTON — John Buller (Hampton Public School)
HASTINGS — Rachel Arneson (Adams Central High School)
JUNIATA — Justine Larsen (Adams Central High School)
KEARNEY — Ali Freese (Kearney Catholic High School)
KIMBALL — Sheena Straub (Kimball High School)
LAUREL — Jonathon Brandon (Laurel-Concord Public Schools)
LEXINGTON — Maria Araujo, Elizabeth Trampe, Allyson Monter (all Lexington
High School)
PETERSBURG — Rachel Faust (Boone Central High School)
PIERCE — Kelsey Blunck (Pierce Public High School)
STUART — Katie Madsen and Kacie Olberding (both Stuart High School)
WAYNE — Natalie Fendrick (Wayne High School)