Lowcountry High School Students Participate in First Health Career Exploration Symposium

The first Health Career Exploration Symposium took place on June 24 at the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) in Beaufort, SC. This collaborative effort between Lowcountry AHEC and the Preventive Medicine Department at the Naval Hospital-Beaufort provided Lowcountry high school students with an opportunity to explore health careers through cooperative learning activities and panel discussions. Students circulated through six different morning classroom sessions, which introduced pharmacy, biomedical technology, respiratory therapy, medicine, dental technology and nursing and included hands-on activities. Dr. Laurence Neely, a former Upstate AHEC Health Careers Program student, served as one of the morning facilitators. Numerous participants rated his session on medicine and blood typing as their favorite classroom session.

An afternoon panel of United States Navy servicemen and women shared inspiring stories that highlighted the importance of one’s drive and determination in achieving professional goals. Each healthcare professional also shared how the United States Navy provided financial support towards his or her educational training. The day ended with team building activities led by representatives from the Beaufort County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Marine Corp Community Service (MCCS)-South Carolina SEMPER FIT, and Naval Hospital-Beaufort Preventive Medicine Department. Each activity demonstrated the importance of working as a team to accomplish goals.

Overall, students and facilitators provided very positive feedback for the event. One student shared, “I really enjoyed myself and I was happy that I took time to come.” A special thank you goes out to all of the volunteers, facilitators, sponsors, and AHEC staff. The sponsors included the South Carolina AHEC, TM Graphics, Chick-Fil-A, Lighthouse Christian Center, National Science Foundation, MCCS-SC Semper Fit, Beaufort County EMS, and TCL. Lowcountry AHEC is pleased the program was a success and looks forward to making it an annual event.

For more information, please contact Lowcountry AHEC at 843-782-5052.

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