NBHH Career opportunities on full display for local students

NBHH Career opportunities on full display for local students

By Patti Carpenter

There’s nothing quite like sitting at the controls of a surgical robot or giving CPR to a dummy or a shot to an orange to pique student interest in the multitude of career possibilities in the medical field. Freshman students from Rocky Mountain and Burlington high schools were treated to exactly that kind of experience and more when they attended a one-day PATH (Promoting Aspiring Talent in Healthcare) event at North Big Horn Hospital on April 8. The event, held for the first time this year at NBHH, is designed to stimulate interest in careers in the medical field and at the local hospital.

The group of 34 students began the day with presentations from nearly every department at the hospital. Hospital staff set up information booths about the jobs they perform in their departments. Students were given the opportunity to visit with experts in the fields of nursing, coding, billing, fiscal services, radiology, marketing, information technology, maintenance, housekeeping, material management, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, laboratory, EMS/paramedic, surgical careers, clinic and care center related careers. There were also offered the future opportunity to job shadow in any of the areas that sparked their interest during the event.

“It turned out to be a great day,” said Human Resources Director Kirsten Bryson, who was instrumental in coordinating the event. “All of the departments did a fabulous job with their booths. Many were set up by 8 a.m. I was so impressed with the amount of work they put into this. They went all out. The entire organization participated.”

Each student received a “passport” at the beginning of the day that they got stamped as they attended various presentations, including many that offered the hands-on experience of what it’s like to perform various jobs at the hospital. Those interactive presentations included activities coordinated by staff from the care center, radiology, the surgical center, the emergency room and more. At the end of the day, students submitted their passports, which made them eligible to receive prizes as a reward for their participation.

“I don’t think many of the students realized there were so many different job opportunities and departments at the hospital,” said Bryson. “I think we have an excellent work environment here. It’s a great culture and a great place to work.”

The students were treated to donuts in the morning and pizza for lunch. Additionally, they received commemorative T-shirts with their school colors that they wore during the day and other promotional swag with the hospital’s logo.

“It looked like the students had a blast,” said Bryson. “All of them seemed engaged and looked like they wanted to be there. I didn’t see a single cell phone all day.”

Representatives from Northwest College were also on-hand during the day to talk to the students about educational opportunities that could help them prepare for various careers in the medical field. They also discussed opportunities that exist to take college courses while still in high school as well as scholarship opportunities that are available. Additionally, student nurses were on hand to answer questions about the nursing program at the college.

Bryson said she hopes PATH will become an annual event and eventually expand in its scope. The hospital has around 272 employees. It is one of the largest employers in the area and provides services to the citizens of Big Horn County and beyond.

“I hope this inspired some of the students to think about going into the health care field,” said Bryson. “It turned out to be a great event that everyone worked so hard to make happen. I know we had a great time, and I hope the participants did, too.”

The event highlighted the fact that the healthcare industry offers diverse career opportunities from hands-on clinical roles to administrative positions. Students considering the field learned of the constant need for healthcare services and how that need provides job security, growth opportunities and competitive pay that is generally higher than the national average for pay in other industries.