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“My future goals related to healthcare include…” 

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“My future goals related to healthcare include…” 

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"My future goals related to healthcare include embarking on my education and journey to becoming a doctor and providing the best healthcare possible, while simultaneously contributing to my community and the well being of those around me!"

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Share one memorable/impactful story from your experience.

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Share one memorable/impactful story from your experience.

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One memorable/impactful story from my experience was the excitement I felt after my first shadow experience. I had always wanted to work in a hospital and getting to work alongside the respiratory therapist and interact with patients made me feel so accomplished and helped me solidify my decision in going into medicine. I truly believe that medicine is my calling and I cannot wait to embark on my journey through college and medical school!!

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What surprised you most during this experience? 

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What surprised you most during this experience? 

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I think I was surprised the most about how important every specialty is in the healthcare system. I always had this blocked and biased view that being a doctor was the only way to be involved in the healthcare field since I have over 6 family members who are ER doctors. I really enjoyed exploring different healthcare fields that I didn't necessarily think were involved in working in a hospital setting, such as sterile processing.

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What are the benefits being a student in this course? 

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What are the benefits being a student in this course? 

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This course has multiple benefits!! Not only do you get to have an enriching shadowing experience at Littleton Adventist Hospital, you also get to participate in interactive activities that further your knowledge of various healthcare specialties. I loved this course because it was the perfect amount of academic pressure/stress as I had work to do but it wasn't overwhelming at all, which helped me focus on what was truly important which was focusing on the healthcare specialties and what interests you!

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Why did you chose to enroll in this exploratory pre-apprenticeship course?

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Why did you chose to enroll in this exploratory pre-apprenticeship course?

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I chose to enroll in this exploratory pre-apprenticeship course because I am going to college next year and wanted some clarity on what some possible specialties of healthcare seemed like they would fit me! I also regretted not taking the health sciences program my senior year so I thought this program would still be a good way to explore healthcare!

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- often take medical histories and record vital signs of patients. Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. Their duties vary with the location, specialty, and size of the practice.
- Pay- $31,540 a year or $15.17 an hour on average.
- Schooling- Programs for medical assisting are available from community colleges, vocational schools, technical schools, and universities and take about 1 year to complete. These programs usually lead to a certificate or diploma. Some community colleges offer 2-year programs that lead to an associate's degree.
- Projected job growth- 23% until 2024
- I had to opportunity to shadow a medical assistant during the time we had at Littleton Adventist Hospital. The particular MA that I shadowed participated in a lot of administrative work. One thing to keep in mind is that MA's jobs could look entirely different depending on what type of setting they are currently working in. I happened to shadow a clinic MA, and he explained to me that because he works in a clinic, he does more administrative work than an MA who might work in a hospital setting. I think that becoming a MA would be a very beneficial starting point to fuel my medical career. Personally, I want to have slightly more responsibility involved in my career, so I think starting off as an MA might be a good way to begin to get accustomed to the responsibilities of being a healthcare provider and help me push more towards my ultimate career goals!

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- CNA's provide intimate, hands-on healthcare to patients in medical settings, helping with bathing, dressing and the basic activities of life
- Pay: $13.72/hour
-11% Job Growth through 2026
- Schooling- must earn a certificate and pass a competency exam
- I shadowed this healthcare specialty during the time we had at Littleton Adventist Hospital. I observed multiple duties that CNA's are required to perform. The most common thing I watched the CNA's complete was moving patients to and from their beds, assisting with any and everything they might need. I was incredibly impressed by the amount of heavy lifting each CNA is required to perform.  I personally have the utmost respect for CNA's and everything they do to keep the patient comfortable. However, I do not think it would be my personal career choice.

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- an allied health professional working as a part of the team delivering surgical care. Surgical technologists are members of the surgical team.
-Schooling: Prospective surgical technicians need to complete a diploma, certificate or associate's degree program to work in the field. Diploma and certificate programs may be completed in under a year and an associate's degree program in two years.
- Pay: $21.71/hour OR $45,160/year
- Projected job growth: 15% through 2024
- I did not have the opportunity to shadow the surgical technician. However, I got a good idea of what this healthcare specialty encompasses through classwork and interactive activities! I am incredibly interested in becoming healthcare worker who participates in performing surgery. Because of this, I am seriously considering becoming a surgical technician. However, I want to go farther in my career so I think I want to become a Surgical Technician but continue my education and improve my career! I have always been intrigued and interested in surgery so I think this healthcare specialty could prove to be incredibly rewarding and helpful in order to help me achieve and reach my career goals!

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- Work with patients in areas such as the emergency rooms, neonatal or pediatric intensive care, or surgical intensive care, treating conditions such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, or pneumonia
- Pay: ideally every month you make $5,875/month so per year on average you make $70,500.
- Schooling:  need at least an associate's degree, and some obtain a bachelor's or master's degree in order to pursue more advanced positions. Most states also require licensure in this field
- Projected job growth- 12% until 2024.
- I shadowed a respiratory technician during the time we had at Littleton Adventist Hospital. This was personally the most interesting shadow experience I had the opportunity to partake in because of the variety of patients and cases I was able to observe. One thing that really intrigued me was the fact that the respiratory therapist did not just stay on one floor or working on one specialty. She was all over the hospital monitoring patients, administering steroids to aid patients in breathing, including ICU care. I genuinely enjoyed this healthcare specialty and will seriously be considering going into a speciality regarding respiratory functions because it was so interesting to shadow and experience! I truly really did enjoy everything this specialty encompassed! I do think I want to go a bit farther than being a respiratory technician in the big picture of my career but it would be a good starting point!

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-in charge of inventory control for all sterile items used in operating rooms and typically lay out surgical gowns and gloves prior to each procedure
-Pay: $36,240 (salary)
- Schooling- After completing your high school diploma or equivalent, you can enroll in a sterile processing technician training program at a community college, training school, or online to gain the skills and knowledge necessary for the job. Some sterile processing technicians get this experience through on-the-job training.
- Projected job growth: 14% until 2026
- I did not have the opportunity to shadow this healthcare specialty during our time at Littleton Adventist Hospital. However, through our distance learning activities I was able to gain a good understanding of what this specialty encompasses. Making the video explaining the skills needed to be a sterile processor was incredibly helpful to understanding what exactly this specialty encompasses. This specialty is so extremely important to the healthcare system, more importantly the surgical field. Without the proper sterile materials, surgery cannot be performed. Having sterile materials prevents infection which is incredibly important to maintaining superb health of the patient. Personally, I love patient interaction so I don't think this is the job for me but I do recognize how important this specialty is to the healthcare system as a whole and have so much respect to those who make sure all of the materials necessary to help patients are sterile!

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-dispense prescription medication to customers or health professionals. They receive written prescriptions and confirm their accuracy, and can measure and package medications, and label prescriptions. ... They greet customers and provide basic information about their medications.
- Pay: $12-19/hour
- Schooling: at least a high school diploma or its equivalent, like a GED. Pharmacy technicians who do not pursue postsecondary education (see next step) usually need on-the-job training in combination with their high school diploma
-Projected job growth: 9% until 2024
- I did not have the opportunity to partake in a shadowing experience with a pharmacy technician during our time at Littleton Adventist Hospital but I did gain a better understanding and wider range of knowledge surrounding the job of pharmacy techs in the healthcare field through online distance learning assignments. Pharmacy technicians are a huge help to pharmacists and maintaining organization throughout the pharmacy. For me personally, I am not interested in becoming a pharmacist. However, I was still very interested in learning about what goes on behind the pharmacy desk when I go to pick up a prescription!

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-draw and prepare blood for medical testing, transfusions or donation via venipuncture, finger pricks, or in the case of infants, heel pricks
- Pay- $15-$19/hour
- Schooling- Although no education is mandatory to be employed as a phlebotomist, most hold an associate's degree in the field or have completed phlebotomy training as part of a bachelor's degree program in a health-related field, such as nursing. Certification may be necessary in certain states
- Projected job growth-  25% by 2024.
- I sadly did not have the opportunity to shadow a phlebotomist/MLT during our time at Littleton Adventist Hospital. Through our class activity with blood typing and at home online learning about this specialty, I was incredibly interested in this healthcare specialty. However, the only downside to this specialty is the lack of patient interaction that I would very much love to have within my career. Having been an AP biology student, I understood blood typing incredibly well which made it even more fun to do it in person at the ACC campus. I do not think I could see myself working in a lab and doing bloodwork but I have the utmost respect for phlebotomists/MLT because what they do is essential to the correct quality medical treatment of every patient.

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-  the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose and treat diseases
- Pay: $414,090 (average salary in the United States for a radiologist)
-  Schooling- to become a radiologist you must attend a four-year college degree, medical or osteopathic school and at least four years of residency training. ... Most radiologists also take exams for board certification and some complete additional training in a sub-specialty.
- Projected job growth- 7% to 2028
- Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to shadow within the radiology specialty. However, I do find the healthcare specialty incredibly interesting and I have very much considered becoming a radiologist! The imaging is incredibly interesting to me. The only downside that I have seen to this specific healthcare specialty is the lack of doctor-patient interactions. Personally, I would like to be very involved with my patients and this specific speciality makes it slightly difficult to accomplish that. However, this speciality is incredibly essential to healthcare and providing the correct care to those who need it by targeting the problem directly. Radiology is such an important and interesting field, and I wish I had the opportunity to experience this specialty!

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By: Elissa Maalouf