It's not every day high school students can practice listening to the heartbeat of a pediatric manikin – especially one that can talk, turn its head and even cry.
Fifty high school students from Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties had the opportunity to not only examine “PediHal,” a high-fidelity pediatric manikin, but also dive into an early introduction to nursing with clinical simulations and skill labs.
The University of South Florida College of Nursing hosted its fourth annual Pepin Family USF Nursing Pathway Summer Program this week. The five-day program, in partnership with the Pepin Family Foundation, gives students a taste of one of Florida’s most in-demand careers.
Students receive hands-on experience they might not usually have the chance to have, said Pepin Family Foundation executive director Tina Pepin.
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"I do believe that talent is everywhere,” Pepin said, “but opportunity isn't.”
It’s important to create a pipeline for future healthcare professionals in Florida, she said, especially with the state’s shortage of healthcare workers and nurses. The state is projected to face a shortage of nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035, according to the Florida Hospital Association.
That’s why it’s important to get involved with students before they go to college, Pepin said. There’s a difference between hearing about something and actually getting practical experience, she said, and it’s exciting to see the students get inspired.
One of those students was Alondra Hernandez, a 16-year-old from Hillsborough County. She said she wasn’t sure she would be selected for the program because it’s limited to 50 students.
“When I got the email, I was excited,” Hernandez said.
Though she’s not sure if she will pursue nursing, she said, it's a “career that is really cool and exciting.”
Like Hernandez, Hillsborough County rising senior Vedant Patel isn’t completely sure he’ll end up in nursing, but he said he’s “definitely committed to the medical field.”
Nursing remains a strong option, he said, pointing out the need.
“I feel like nurses are also very overlooked because whenever you think about medical, you think about doctors and surgeons,” Patel said. “But nurses are really the people who care for the patients and really have those interactions with the patients.”
Karen Aul, USF College of Nursing interim assistant dean of Simulation and Experiential Learning, said her favorite part of the program is interacting with students and seeing their ambitions.
“It’s very encouraging to know that there’s high school students who are thinking about nursing as a profession,” Aul said.
She helped facilitate one of the stations that students visited during their second day of the program. Aul helped teach how to properly wash hands and put on personal protective equipment.
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The students went through five stations, which included learning how to control bleeding, listen to basic heart and lung sounds, treat hypoxia on "PediHal," and practice applying makeup to simulate realistic-looking injuries.
While a program like this might offer undecided students a possible future direction, for others, it reinforces the choice of career they’ve already decided to pursue.
Siddharth Suresh, a rising senior from Hillsborough, said he’s been interested in nursing for “a really long time now.” The idea of making a difference in people’s lives drives his passion, he said.
The students spent the first day of the program speaking to people in different fields of nursing, he said. Getting such exposure gave him newfound clarity about his future.
“I think I found a little bit more purpose to why I do want to get into nursing," Suresh said.
