Five students from Pinckneyville High School recently concluded an eight-month Healthcare Career Exploration Program at Pinckneyville Community Hospital. The students met once a month to learn about careers in health care.

Each month, working professionals would meet with students and discuss important information about their career such as typical work schedule, required education and training, important qualities for the career, average annual state and national wages, job outlook, and what a typical day looks like in the field. Students also got to do hands-on activities in each department to get a feeling of what the career is really like. After program completion, students have the chance to continue job shadowing if they desire more time in a department. The program ran from September 2021 to March 2022.

South Central’s 2021-22 Career Exploration students (from left) Allison Szostak, Cagney Kwiatowski, Carsyn Cowley, Karli Shockley, and Madison Morgenthaler.

Students explored over fifteen health care departments and occupations, some including Occupational Therapy, Oncology, Pinckneyville Ambulance Service, Imaging, Nursing, Speech Therapy, Laboratory Technician, Behavioral Health, ARCH Air Medical Service, Health care Administration and more. Students also met with Pinckneyville Community Hospital HR director Kyle Crawford to learn about professional development, resume writing and interview skills. Student Cagney Kwiatowski said, “I never knew how many different careers there really were in health care; there really is something for everyone!”

The program was arranged by the South Central AHEC. “The main goal,” said AHEC Director Gloria Przygoda, “is to expand high school students’ knowledge of health care careers and help them explore and narrow down their interests before they go to college or enter the workforce.

The 2021-22 Career Exploration students are Allison Szostak, Cagney Kwiatowski, Carsyn Cowley, Karli Shockley, and Madison Morgenthaler.

The next group of Career Exploration students will be accepted in the fall of 2022 after the beginning of school. High school sophomores, juniors and seniors are eligible to apply. Watch for more information on our News & Events page and stay connected by following us on Facebook.