Members of the leadership team of the Marshalltown Area Health Careers Club from Marshalltown High School are pictured at health careers high school in San Antonio earlier this month.
Nine Marshalltown High School students who have leadership roles in the Marshalltown Area Health Careers Club made a trip to San Antonio to learn more about health career options on Feb. 1-7.
Led by MHS Dean of Students Dan Terrones and other MHS staff member Meredith Goldman, the group took a road trip to the Texas city.
One main stop in San Antonio was a health careers high school (Northside),which serves 850 students. This school provides a route for those looking to get into health careers.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for them,” MHS student Gaby Hernandez said of the students at that high school.
Fellow MHS student Carrie Heddens agreed.
“It showed how many different career paths are out there,” Heddens said.
The students hope to bring back some of the things they learned at the health careers high school to MHS.
“We are going to see what we can incorporate at Marshalltown High School,” Terrones said.
The group also saw health careers in action at a military hospital, the Center for the Intrepid.
Bonding time
The group also made time for some fun, whether at Sea World or dancing on the famed San Antonio River Walk. These activities helped the group build stronger bonds.
“We were all friends before we went on the trip but we are better friends now,” said student Samantha Lammert.
The MHS counseling office is working to provide career paths for students focusing on the medical field, so they can get a focus on this work in high school.
Community partnerships
The Health Careers Club also has strong community partnerships, especially with Central Iowa Healthcare, which funded the trip, and with McFarland Clinic and Iowa Valley Community College District.
Terrones said there is a community need for jobs in the medical field and the over 40 members of Health Careers Club continue to learn about what’s out there.
“Clearly, we know that there are many unfilled jobs out there in the medical field,” Terrones said.
The group also plans to present some ideas to the school board at a future meeting.
