Back row (l–r) Jazmine Cofield, Patricia Jones, Eboni Copeland, Alisha Wallace, Catherine Longenecker, Aaron Lindsey, Eric Shumway, Troy Shelton, and Amber Pickett; front row: Brittany Johnson, Amber Farmer, Jessica Johnson, Hayley Elliott, Hasita Patel, and Jayla Cannon. Providence Hospitals recently hosted Pursuit, an education program for rising high school juniors and seniors in the Midlands. This one–week summer program allowed students the opportunity to shadow health care professionals and learn about the medical field first–hand.

The Pursuit program gives students a chance to discover what it’s like to work in a hospital and encourages them to consider health care professions as part of their future. Program participants took part in a mock surgery, code simulation, and a LifeNet helicopter tour. Over 100 students apply to this elite program each year, but only 40 are selected.

Providence Hospitals Workforce Development Coordinator Jessica Saxon believes the program is invaluable to students interested in the medical field. “The experiences Pursuit participants are exposed to during this program provide an excellent window into the reality of day–to–day life in a hospital. Providence hopes this experience is fun, educational, and will inspire students to work toward a career in health care.”