High schoolers try health-care careers on for size

High school juniors and seniors took 20-minute glimpses into medical careers with help from professors at Louisiana State University at Alexandria.

The sixth annual career investigation program — or "CI: Healthcare" — allowed high school juniors and seniors to explore nursing and allied health careers on Thursday. Forty-eight students from eight Central Louisiana parishes rotated through activities like making a pill in a pharmacy and helping a lifelike mannequin deliver a baby in a simulation lab.

Jena High School seniors Emily Howard and Demetrious Howard (no relation) worked together in a pharmacy technology classroom at LSUA. Demetrious used a mortar and pestle to crush medicine that they would put in a pill casing.

The activity was right up Emily's alley, as the daughter of a pharmacist and someone planning to major in pharmacy at University of Louisiana at Monroe next school year.

"I think it's been fun," Emily, 18, said about the class. "It really helped me choose pharmacy."

Demetrious, 17, also said the CI: Healthcare program helped solidify his interest in a health career.

"I'm second-guessing myself on what I really want," he said. "This way I can make sure it's what I want to do."

Demetrious will begin studying nursing at Baylor University this fall. He's thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner, possibly in the pediatric field.

"All the women in my family are nurses — it runs in the family," he said, laughing. "I'd rather that than the plywood industry."

Tioga High senior Aubrey Frarque, 18, hasn't picked out a specific career yet, but has her sights set on the medical field.

"I'm not really sure, maybe nursing," she said. "That's why I wanted to do this — to see the particular jobs if not nursing."

She's considering LSUA for college next year, so the program also gave her a glimpse into its nursing program in particular.

Tioga High biology teacher Melissa Porter said that's the point of CI: Healthcare.

"It gives them this opportunity to explore different careers for future purposes," she said. "It really does give kids a good idea while they're making college decisions."

After a morning of activities at LSUA's main campus, the students went to the school's downtown Alexandria location to learn about radiology, phlebotomy, forensics and emergency services.

The Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center offers the program once a year in January in Alexandria and Baton Rouge.