Bridgeport High students visit WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
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BRIDGEPORT - Bridgeport High School students exploring careers in the health field got a close look at the work Oct. 19 during a field trip to WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital. More than 60 students in freshman through senior grades levels attended.
Heath science teacher Dana Kreiter was one of the educators accompanying the students. This was her first time on such a field trip as well, having been hired to the position with the completion of the multipurpose Bridge, which offers a variety of practical education opportunities on campus. She was excited that her students got to experience the reality of what they have been studying.
"It was a health care careers day, so our students got to go to various departments," she said
The tour included respiratory therapy and the high schoolers saw the emergency room and practiced CPR on the manikins.
"A lot of them seemed interested to find out about radiology and what opportunities are out there in X-rays, CT scans, those types of things," Kreiter said. "They also got to talk to physical therapy, occupational therapy. They had a surg tech that talked to them and showed them some instruments that are used in surgery. So they got a lot of different experiences for the trip."
Kreiter added the students were very engaged.
"They seemed interested," she said. "It was a little bit eye-opening to see some of the different departments there, and to be there while there is still patient care ongoing. We had to be quiet in the hallways, there's still patients being seen. It was just good for the students to experience being in the hospital during a regular business day."
Kreiter said the visitors also heard options for continuing education in health care.
"There were also some representatives from some of our local colleges. Wheeling University had a representative there," she said. "They spoke to the students about some volunteering opportunities that are available to students within the hospital, so this was a great opportunity for them. They were able to get applications for that."
Students like senior Delanie Allen plan to go into nursing and were interested in seeing radiation therapy and oncology at the hospital.
"Everyone was really nice and really helpful with how to get a career in the medical field," she said.
"It was fun. It really gave me an insight on what the hospital would be like if I got a job there," she said. "It was really cool just to learn how the different specialties did different things."
Delanie was impressed by the professionals.
"They were telling us how to do the ventilators and how to do CPR," she said. The field trip touched on much of the material her class was studying. We were learning about the heart in Ms. Kreiter's, so then we learned about CPR when we went on the trip."
Junior Aydyn Hildebrand is considering going into radiology.
"I thought some of the stuff was pretty interesting," he said. "I like the radiology."
He was fascinated by all the instruments and labs the medical personnel work with.
"It was really like a tour. We stopped at a bunch of places and they told us what they do and how they do it."
Bridgeport High School Principal Jack Fisher said these trips give students an in-depth perspective.
"It was a good experience for our students to get out and see something out in the world," he said. "Our students can take multiple courses in health care now and can walk out of here as a nursing assistant. These kinds of partnerships and field trips give our students a touch of the real world to see how things are actually like out in the hospitals, and it certainly helps our partnership with WVU Medicine.